Porphyria
by Child of a Pineapple
Summary: FINISHED Sequel to Silver Wing. It only takes a few snips for everything to come apart at the seams, and for the Titans, everything is unravelling.
1. Wandering

Hello, wonderful people. Cop has returned, and with her first ever official sequel. So, all of you who read Silver Wing—you already know what's going on and probably just want me to shut up and get to the story—and if you haven't read Silver Wing, I suggest reading it first. Not only because this story might not make a lot of sense by itself, but because it makes me happy when people read my stories. **So, read Silver Wing first if you want this story to make sense.**

I don't own Teen Titans, or the poem _Porphyria's Lover_ by Robert Browning. I'll explain now that I'm putting an at the end of lines containing parts of that poem—you'll see them fairly often.

This concludes what has to be my shortest author's note ever. So, without further adieu, I give you _Porphyria._

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**Porphyria**

_Chapter One—Wandering_

"It's been three days, Robin."

Robin looked up into Cyborg's concerned face. He frowned, debating what to do. This was becoming more and more common, but then again, he'd never been gone for so long before.

In the months since Raven's abduction, Beast Boy had become distant. He rarely spoke, he barely ate, and the only time he ever seemed focused was when they were following a lead on Raven's whereabouts. Leads that, unfortunately, always led to another dead end.

About a month ago, he'd started disappearing. The first time they'd sent out a frantic search party, fearing the worst. Starfire had found him sitting outside the Titan's favorite pizza place, apparently unaware of his surroundings. After that, he'd leave at least twice a week, but never for very long. Eventually they stopped looking for him altogether—but they always made sure someone was still up for his return hours later.

Cyborg was right, it was high time they started to worry. Robin knew that Beast Boy need time to sort things out, but it had gotten out of hand. It was only a matter of time before he got himself hurt, or even killed.

Now Starfire was standing beside Cyborg, anxiously awaiting Robin's decision. She'd wanted to search for Beast Boy after he failed to come home the morning before, but Robin had held her back. He'd told her that Beast Boy needed space, and that he'd be fine, but now…

His mind made up, Robin caught Starfire's unwavering gaze and nodded.

"Let's bring him home."

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The rain was cold and forgiving. It didn't judge him, didn't blame him for what happened. The sky just kept on raining, unaware of the turmoil raging inside the young man lost in the downpour.

Two months. Two months since she was taken. Two months of guilt, fear, and sleepless nights. Two months of wandering around in a daze, wondering what had happened to her, and if she was even alive.

A part of him vaguely wondered how long he'd been sitting there. The sport was fairly secluded—no one had come to bother him yet. He remembered the time he'd seen her sitting in this very sport. She'd been reading on this bench, off the beaten path and partially shielded by the sweeping branches of an ancient tree. Raven had been lost in her own world that day—now Beast Boy was lost in his.

He still hadn't figured out why coming to these places helped. Maybe he'd managed to convince a part of himself that if he stalked her old haunts, she'd somehow wind up there with him. Then again, he was probably crazy—the rest of the Titans obviously thought so.

"Beast Boy?"

Starfire had appeared before him, worry written all over her face. In an instant, reality flooded back to him in its brutal entirety. He was completely aware of his surroundings, no longer viewing the world from that indifferent third-person view. This world was an uncomfortable place—he was cold and wet, and shiver wracked his body. His right glove was missing, exposing his silver fingers. He numbly realized that he always lost his right glove on these little expeditions.

"Hey, Starfire," he said, turning back to his friend. He did his best to smile at her, but his half-frozen face wouldn't obey.

She frowned reprovingly, then took his human hand and forcefully led him away from the bench.

"You must not do any more of this 'running off,' Beast Boy," she said firmly. "You may injure yourself."

"I'm fine, Star," he responded quietly, looking down at his feet as they walked.

"Still, you have frightened us all," she explained. "You were gone for three days."

This time, Beast Boy looked up in surprise. He hadn't realized just how long it had been. That explained why he felt so terrible.

"Sorry, Star," he murmured, as sincerely as he could muster.

"I know." Starfire stopped and turned back to her friend. "Beast Boy, I must ask you not to do this again."

And as Beast Boy made a promise they both knew he wouldn't keep, a girl was waking up.

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_The rain set early in to-night._

James slammed his car door shut and madly dashed across his sprawling front lawn, trying to get out of the deluge. Within moments he was standing at his front door, too busy shoving his house key into the lock to pay any attention to the carvings in the oak. He entered a dark hallway and sighed happily, glad to be home. Kicking his shoes off as he ran, he bolted up the wide, spiral stairs, running his hand along the ornately carved banister. This stairwell opened up into another hallway, with a balcony that overlooked the first floor.

Pausing a moment, James rested his forearms on the railing, leaning out into the open air. His shoes were lying at odd angles, a few feet apart, and he couldn't help but chuckle at the strange site. This time he took a moment to admire the carvings on the railings—they perfectly matched those on the banister, doors, and every other piece of wood furniture in this mansion.

A dull thud sounded from behind him, and he quickly turned to the door across the hallway. The corners of his mouth perked up in a crooked grin—so she was awake. He approached the door and listened outside to the movement inside. The door creaked as it opened, and James entered the room, still smiling. He beamed at his beloved, sprawled out on the floor.

Even when bound and gagged, she was beautiful.

**TBC**

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Well, how's that for making sense? Mwahahaha.

Ehem. Sorry about that momentary lapse in sanity. You aren't supposed to understand James yet, but you will. And the line about the rain, at the beginning of the last section—that was from that Robert Browning poem I mentioned earlier. Like I said, you'll be seeing a lot of those lines.

Okay, I have to get ready to leave for State Convention (yay for newspaper), so please review, and I'll work on the next chapter ASAP.

**Child of a Pineapple**


	2. Wondering

Yeah, I know, it's been a while. But I've been busy, working on this, a one-shot for a challenge (go read it!), another unrelated story, a one-shot, and mostly my school newspaper, so I've got excuses. Still, I want to get into this quickly, so I'll just take a moment to say the _Hide and Seek_ was so flipping adorable—I fell off the couch at Raven's bedtime story, and I think I'm going to kidnap those little kids myself.

Anyway, now that my moment of insanity is over, I'll respond to my supertastic reviewers.

_Koriat_ – Rain is nice…as long as I'm on my front porch, and not getting soaked. Thanks for reviewing, and I hope you do like this chapter, and the rest of the story.

_Hope Rising_ – Yeah, I think I enjoy messing with Beast Boy's head a little too much. And yes, poor Nina…I borrowed some of the mangas from my friend, and even though that part was pretty different, it still made me sad. –sniffs—

_RexRox_ – Oh, his walks are important alright. And the girl won't be revealed for sure until a couple of chapters from now, so I guess you have to wait.

_Silverchild of the winds_ – Thanks for reviewing! Yeah, chapter one was kind of weird, and it was mostly thought. There's definitely more interaction in this chapter.

_Stars-Eclipsed_ – Thank you! I'm glad you liked SW, and I hope you like this story, too.

_lovex3spell_ – I always look forward to your reviews—they're so fun, and you say such nice things –blushes--. Ah, but there's no James in this chapter—sorry. I'll get back to him next time, don't worry. As always, thanks for reviewing!

_teentitansrock _– This is the first time I've ever written an actual sequel. And I'm officially in love with that poem—but I can't go into all of that yet. Anyway, thanks for reviewing.

_Blizzard Flame_ – I definitely wouldn't mind twenty reviews. I'm glad you enjoyed SW, and thanks for reviewing!

_Confuzzle333 _– Wow, confuzzle is totally one of my words. That's pretty spiffy. Okay, to get back on topic now, thanks for reviewing!

_BigQuise88_ – Well you know, it wouldn't be any fun if it made sense right at the start. ;) Thanks for reviewing.

_Rachel Elaine_ – Yes, you do need to watch the show. I'm sort of a dork that records the really good episode (aka all of season 5) on DVD, so maybe you can borrow them sometime. It's really funny…and last night there were these adorable little kids, and a put two of them on my little brother list, and the girl was so adorable that I made her a little sister list. I know, that's pretty adorable. Anyway, thanks for reviewing!

Okay, now that's out of the way, so onto chapter two!

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**Porphyria**

_Chapter 2—Wondering_

Rain drummed quietly on the windshield. Beast Boy chose to watch the droplets, determinedly avoiding the eyes of his friends. Still, he could feel their stares boring into him. It seemed best to ignore them, or else he'd have to listen while his teammates voiced their concerns…again.

Robin broke the stiff silence with a sigh. "Beast Boy…"

Great. Apparently he wasn't getting out of this one.

Beast Boy pressed his forehead against the glass. "I shouldn't run off and act like a zombie for three days. I got it."

Either that was a good enough answer, or Robin didn't feel like pursuing a pointless conversation. Beast Boy would have put money on the last one.

The rest of the ride was completely silent. Nobody really seemed to be in the mood for talking. The T-Car pulled to a stop in front of the tower, and Beast Boy exited quickly, not giving anyone a chance to say anything else to him. He was unbearably cold, with the kind of chill that penetrates the entire body--he headed straight for his room, and a hot shower. He stood in the water until his skin felt raw, but nothing would completely chase the chill away.

As tired as he was, Beast Boy couldn't bring himself to sleep. Nor was he in the mood to sit around in his room, moping. Instead, he ventured to the living room—it was empty, except for Cyborg, who was standing near the oven. Beast Boy sat down on one of the stools, propped his elbow on the counter, and rested his chin on his human palm. Although he was decidedly warmer and drier, he couldn't help but shiver.

Cyborg gave him a sideways glance, but didn't turn around. His body shielded his actions, so Beast Boy was left to guessing until his friend slid a mug across the countertop to him. Beast Boy caught it effortlessly, already accustomed to the soft clink as the handle collided with his metallic fingers. He stared aimlessly into the mug of hot chocolate.

"Drink it." Cyborg was watching him with concern, and Beast Boy sighed.

"C'mon, Cy, don't look at me like that. I promise I won't freak out on you."

If that comment relieved any of Cyborg's worry, he didn't show it. "You should still drink that," he told Beast Boy. "It might not keep you sane, but it'll warm you up. Three days in the rain, you're lucky you aren't sick."

Beast Boy raised the mug and took a sip. "I'm not crazy," he said calmly as he set it back down.

"I don't think you are," Cyborg assured him. "But BB, you know you're not taking this well."

That was true, but he didn't know how he was supposed to be dealing with it. Beast Boy decided not to respond to that one.

"Look, we'll find her."

Maybe Beast Boy could have believed those words, if he hadn't already heard them a thousand times.

"How?" Beast Boy asked bitterly. "By searching the city? It's not like we've done that a thousand times already. Slade could have taken her _anywhere_."

Cyborg shrugged. "Fine. But what you're doing isn't helping, either."

Once again, Beast Boy didn't answer, taking another sip of hot chocolate to mask his silence. There was no way he could make Cyborg understand the warped logic behind his actions. Strangely enough, the only time he felt like he was of any use to Raven was when he visited those places that reminded him of her. He felt like every other attempt to find her only led them father from the truth.

"And you know, the Justice League hasn't even found anything yet," Cyborg added gently.

It had been Robin's decision to let the Justice League in on the situation. It had cost him, though—Batman had called and ranted for hours, apparently about Robin's poor leadership. Robin had been down, and even more obsessive than usual, since that conversation. Still, they'd had little choice in the matter—it'd be impossible for them to watch for Slade across the globe—and the more open eyes, the better. And although Raven might not end up above world domination on the Justice League agenda, at least they were aware.

Robin wasn't the only one who'd gotten in trouble for the last four months. When they'd informed the Justice League of Raven's disappearance, they'd been forced to reveal the whole story—including Beast Boy's involvement in it. Stories like that apparently spread like wildfire through the high and mighty heroes—within two days, Beast Boy was contacted by Mento for the first time in years. Naturally, his old mentor was more than a little angry about the arm incident. Elastigirl had ended his tirade, and had been considerably more concerned about Beast Boy's well being. Beast Boy lost count of how many times he said "I'm okay," before she finally let him off the hook.

Now there were murmurs among the Justice League—should the Teen Titans be allowed to continue? They'd put their faith in a bunch of kids to look after themselves, and the past few months had been a disaster. There'd been numerous injuries, including a near-death experience and maiming, and now one of their members had vanished indefinitely. Robin had fought tooth and nail to avoid getting pulled back to Gotham, and even Mento had hinted that Beast Boy obviously needed more supervision, unless he was _trying_ to look like Robotman.

It wasn't just the outside opinion of the Titans that had hit a low point—the team dynamic was at rock bottom. Beast Boy himself was admittedly reclusive, barely speaking to the others. Robin spent all of his spare time reviewing and researching, and Cyborg dedicated his life to building another T-Ship. Starfire was the only one making any attempt to hold it all together, and she was failing miserably.

Beast Boy sighed heavily. "Everything's falling apart, Cy. We have to get her back."

"I know. And we will. But for now, you need to get some sleep."

"I'm not tired," Beast Boy lied quickly.

Cyborg raised an eyebrow. "Right. And exactly when did you sleep when you stood in the rain for three days?"

Beast Boy scowled, but he knew that Cyborg was right. He drained the rest of the mug, clutching the handle tightly with his silver fingers. As he stood to rinse out his cup, he was hit with a wave of dizziness, and standing upright was suddenly harder than he expected.

"See?" Cyborg tried to sound smug, but his concern for his friend was obvious. He pried the mug from Beast Boy's grip. "Now go to bed," he ordered.

Beast Boy had no choice but to obey. As he dropped onto his bed, the last thing on his mind before drifting off was the memory of a bloody night and a muddy field.

**TBC**

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Hmm….so yeah, I know I only gave you an intro to James, and didn't even bother to mention him this time, but next chapter is about him. And I decided against putting the angry mentor conversations in there, so you could leave it to your own imaginations. –shudders—Yep, so…that's it for now. Thanks for reading, and please review.

**Child of a Pineapple**


	3. Reasoning

Okay, so that was kind of a long wait, but seriously, I've been worse about updating in the past. This time it was only 15 days, and I swear, I was working really hard on this chapter the whole time. You know, writing when I should have been taking notes in history, and Spanish. But I've also been knitting practically nonstop, because I still have quite a few presents to get done by Christmas.

Excuses aside, this chapter is about James, just like I promised. It's also sort of creepy, but not to an extreme. Well…maybe parts of it are kind of extreme…but then again, I thought _War of the Worlds_ was hilarious, so maybe I'm not a good judge on where the line between creepy and not-so-creepy really is.

I don't have very much else to say, and I would respond to reviews, except that's apparently not allowed anymore. Hmm…that's kind of making me angry right now, but they do have some new reply feature. Apparently I can respond to your reviews, and my response goes to your email like a story alert. And there's some private messaging thing that my parents totally wouldn't let me use. So…I guess I'll try the reply thing out on a couple of people…unless you don't want me to or something. This will definitely be more difficult than just responding here…and I probably won't be able to get to everyone. –sniffs— Sorry, people.

Well, here's chapter three, anyway. Hmm…the first part is just reflective, then it picks up right where James's part in chapter one ended.

**DISCLAIMER – **I do not own Teen Titans, although my sister does own a Robin action figure, which happens to be missing both his arms (her fault, not mine). I also do not own _Porphyria's Lover, _by Robert Browning. **Lines from that poem are in bold.**

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**Porphyria**

_Chapter Three -- Reasoning_

James's first memory was of Lucy. She was all around him—no matter where he looked, he could catch a glimpse of her lithe form, dancing between the moonbeams. James wouldn't have thought it possible to be bonded so completely with another if he hadn't felt exactly that way his whole life. Lucy was a part of him as much as his own hands.

Their mothers had passed down their tradition of childhood friendship. From the time they were born, James and Lucy barely spent a moment apart, and were never separated willingly. When they were young, they would lose themselves in grand adventures played out in the garden behind James's house, or on the secret balcony that they discovered one morning and never told a soul about. Time passed and altered their interests—years later they would still come to the balcony, but to sit and talk in peace, watching the trees shake in the forest beyond. Or else they would absorb the books they dragged up with them, pausing to read aloud a favorite passage or eloquent poem.

On the eve of her fourteenth birthday, Lucy alone was spared in the head-on collision that destroyed her family. Although James and his parents welcome her with open arms, Lucy was changed. Half of her heart was buried with her mother, father, and tiny brother, and James struggled to keep the other fluttering half within his grasp. It was his soft and pleading voice that pulled her away from the railing of the balcony on the night of her deepest desperation, his shoulder that she cried on until this was nothing left inside of her that could hurt anymore, and it was his heart that bled when he saw her violet eyes devoid of the light they'd once shone with.

It took him three patient and painful years, but one night he was able to coax her out on the sprawling lawns, and she sang for him, and they danced between the moonbeams. He kissed her on that night, not on of those childish pecks they'd done of a hundred double-dares, but a true and passionate kiss, that made them both complete. Although her lilac locks were far from golden, she was his Porphyria, and nothing could ever tear them apart.

But that same night she left. It was so sudden and shocking that the real version of events remained murky to James. Only one thought stood out—she was gone. James awoke the next morning to find that even his parents had vanished, and he could only hazily recall their departure as well.

For the first time in his life, James was truly alone.

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James watched this Lucy with admiration. Her eyes were fierce and full of spirit—a spirit that reminded him of his Lucy. He'd had his fears, but perhaps this girl would do after all.

Lucy's hands and feet were tied, and he'd covered her mouth to muffle her protests. These restraints weren't enough to stop her from trying to get her way—James watched, bemused, as she struggled on the floor.

At the very least, he could try to reason with her. His Lucy had always been understanding. James knelt down beside the girl, taking a moment to stare deeply into her wide, dark eyes—exact copies of the ones he always saw staring back at him from the shadows. Gently James reached out, longing to touch that porcelain skin. She recoiled, but James gave a crooked smile, and tenderly ran his finger down the side of her face. Once again she pulled away. Sighing, James pried the tape from her lips, as carefully as he could.

The second her mouth was free, she spat at James and bared her teeth, almost in a menacing snarl. James narrowed his eyes in anger, ready to lash out at her, but reprimanded himself. Where had the patient James, the one who cajoled and coaxed Lucy for three years until she worked up the nerve to venture out of her shell? _He's gone, he left with Lucy, _James thought.

"Who are you?" the new Lucy asked, breaking his train of thought.

"My darling," James murmured, "you couldn't have forgotten me, your James. I haven't forgotten you."

Her violet eyes widened in hear. "Let me go," she demanded, shrinking back from his piercing green eyes.

"No." His voice was low and dangerous. "You belong with me, Lucy."

The girl pulled back again, nearing hysteria now. In a minute she would probably start screaming, just like the rest of them. This wasn't getting anywhere. If only she would just listen—this was the same fatal flaw that every Lucy had.

Anger boiled up inside of him, past his ability to control it. He lunged toward the struggling girl and stuck her across the face. The force knocked her to the floor, and she chose to stay there rather than risk angering James any further. His anger now spent, James calmly leaned forward and replaced the tape across her mouth.

He took a moment to flash her another crooked smile. "We'll try this again later."

As he pulled the door shut, he paused, listening to the girl resume her struggles to free herself. Now he was wishing that he hadn't hit her, but then again, she brought it about herself. If she wouldn't be reasonable, James would be forced to do something he'd rather not do. For now, he'd give her time to calm down, and then try again. Maybe there was still hope.

That hope was gone the next night, as he trudged through the mud, with a limp form wrapped up and tossed over his shoulder. The park was empty, save for James, the latest failed Lucy, and the moonbeams. Suddenly he spotted an empty bench, and grinned in the darkness. Tenderly he set her down, arranging her as if she'd sat down for a brief rest. The dark bruises around her neck marred the perfect picture, but James could easily ignore those by now. He stepped back to admire her, and paused for a moment to honor her beauty. It was a pity that she hadn't been able to accept her new life—now she had only the darkness to love.

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The Titans stared uneasily at Robin's back as his finished his telephone conversation. By the tone of his voice and his posture, he wasn't hearing good news.

"I understand. Yes, I'll be there. Thank you."

He hung up the phone, but didn't turn around. Instead, he hung his head and sighed heavily.

"Friend Robin?" Starfire asked gently. "What is troubling you?"

Reluctantly Robin turned and faced his friends. The sorrow in his eyes frightened Beast Boy, and he suddenly knew exactly what their leader was about to say.

"There was a body found in the park this morning," Robin said quietly, staring at the floor. The rest of the team didn't dare to breathe as they waited for him to continue. After a moment's silence, Robin looked up again, a frown etched into his features.

"They think it's her."

**TBC**

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Just keep in mind—if you kill me, you don't get to find out what happens next. Trust me, people, it'll work out. Please review, I'm dying for your responses to this chapter.

**Child of a Pineapple**


	4. Confirming

For those of you who got review responses from me, you know that this is an earlier update than I'd planned. If you didn't get a review response from me, you just know that this is a very speedy update, and are rejoicing. Hopefully those response things worked! Uhm…keeping this note short, because I don't have much time to type. So basically, enjoy this chapter that I wrote in under two hours—I was mad, so I felt like writing.

DICLAIMER – If you seriously think I own Teen Titans, I feel sorry for you. But let me tell you, if I was god of TT, there would be a season six, and Kid Flash would be a series regular.

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**Porphyria**

_Chapter Four—Confirming_

Ready? How could he ever be ready for something like this? Beast Boy's silver hand paused on the door handle, vice gripping it. This door was the only thing between him and the proverbial final in his coffin. He knew that if it really was Raven laid out on that cold table, he might as well just give up and let his demons overtake him.

Briefly he recalled some half-forgotten and, until then, trivial memory. It was from one of those dull, scientific shows, the kind that he usually skipped right over—but this one had caught his attention. The theory was basically that if you had a box with a cat inside, until you opened and checked, the cat was both alive and dead at the same time, stuck in limbo until the box was opened and the genuine truth discovered. Maybe it was the same way for Raven, too. Until Beast Boy worked up the nerve to open this door, she'd be suspended, both living and dead. The longer he waited, then, the more time he was giving Raven, because it had to be better to be just a little bit alive than not alive at all.

But all of this waiting was killing Beast Boy, and if he didn't have the guts to do this now, he never would. No matter how long you wait to open a box, you can't bring a dead cat to life. Quickly, before he could lose his resolve, Beast Boy turned the handle and pulled the door open.

The sight that met his eyes made his blood run cold.

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_An hour earlier_

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"They think it's her."

Robin might as well have punched him—Beast Boy felt those words just like a physical blow. The shock of that simple sentence nearly sent him staggering backwards. Instead, he caught Robin's mournful gaze and shook his head.

"No," Beast Boy said firmly. "It isn't her—it can't be."

Starfire had covered her mouth to stifle a gasp, but pulled her hands away now. "Are they certain? Perhaps a mistake has been made." Her voice shook as she spoke.

"That's why they need one of us to identify the…body," Robin explained. "I'll go," he added, almost unnecessarily.

"I can go, if you need me to," Cyborg said gently.

Robin shook his head quickly. "No, I should do it."

"I'm coming with you," Beast Boy said suddenly. He was met with his friends' sad and troubled gazes.

Robin frowned. "I don't really think that's a good idea."

"Yeah, BB, he's right," Cyborg added. "Just stay here with me and Star."

"Why?" Beast Boy retorted. The shock and stress was boiling up inside of him, and he had to let it out. "Because you don't think I can handle it?"

"It's not that," Robin said hastily, "it's just…if it _is _her, do you really want to see her like that?"

"Do you?" Beast Boy shot back. "You feel like you have to be because you're the leader and that makes you responsible. But this is my fault, and my responsibility. I'm the reason she's gone!"

His outburst was enough to stun the already shocked Titans for a few minutes. Finally, their silence was broken when Cyborg spoke up.

"Look, BB, this isn't your--"

"Don't," Beast Boy cut him off, his voice low and almost dangerous. "Don't even say it."

Once again silence befell the rest of the team. By now, the shock had started to fade, and full blown realization crept in, and Beast Boy sagged under the weight of his sadness. A moment later Starfire approached him, and wrapped her arms about him a gentle hug.

"Dear friend Beast Boy," she said softly and sadly into his pointed ear, "I am sorry that you have taken this burden upon yourself, and I wish you would not try to walk this dark path alone. You are stumbling."

It was Beast Boy's turn to fall silent. Starfire lingered a moment longer before releasing him and stepping back, wiping a tear from her eye as she did so.

"Thanks, Star," Beast Boy murmured finally. He turned to Robin and added, "but I'm still going. I have to see for myself."

"I know." Robin nodded. "I don't think I could stop you if I tried."

Another five minutes found the pair of them on their way to the opposite side of town—Robin on his R-Cycle, and Beast Boy in the skies as a green and silver bird. The silent trip was unbearably long, and seemed like an eternity before a medical assistant led Robin and Beast Boy to a closed steel door, and asked if they were ready.

At first sight, the girl beneath the white sheet _could _have been Raven—it wasn't until Beast Boy came closer to the still form that he could see the distinction. There was no chakra, for one, and the shape of the face was wrong, and her lips too full. What caught Beast Boy's attention, however, were the dark bruises on the girl's pale neck. He grimly realized that he had nearly done exactly this to Terra just two months earlier.

"It's not her," Robin murmured from just behind Beast Boy, snapping him back to reality. The white sheet was replaced and the pair was ushered out into the hallway, where they were met by the coroner.

"When I was told you were here to I.D. the body, I knew this was worse than I thought," he said gravely, nodding to the two Titans. "Is that girl your—?"

"No," Robin told him quickly. "We don't know who she is."

"Well, if your friend matches the same physical description as the girl in there, I'd be more than a little worried," the coroner confessed, crossing his arms across a folder. "She isn't the first we've seen."

"What do you mean?" Beast Boy asked, looking the man in the eyes for the first time.

"The purple hair and eyes, the pale skin—she's the ninth girl that's turned up like that. They were all between ages 15 and 18, set up like they're still alive, and not a mark on them, except for their necks."

"When did this start?" Robin questioned. The coroner appeared to have expected this question, as he opened his folder and pulled out a stack of files.

"Five years ago," he explained, handing the papers to Robin, "with a girl named Lucy Kove."

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Slade watched the footage from the manor for the hundredth time, his disappointment steadily growing. Hours after his initial conversation with the girl, James had returned and calmly strangled her. His entire demeanor was disturbing, even to Slade, and his final words to the girl were puzzling, almost poetic.

It was crucial to the plan that Raven be kept alive, and it would be impossible for Slade himself to keep her. Unfortunately, the only available candidate also had the unfortunate tendency to strangle girls with their own hair. Slade had spoken to James in person more than once, and clearly emphasized that the only way he would receive this perfect and moldable girl he desired was to let her live.

Still, there was too much to lose for Slade to take this lightly. Sighing, he realized that he would probably have to sink down to a petty last resort—threats. He turned his head to the form standing silent in the shadows behind him.

"Terra, arrange a meeting with our good friend James."

**TBC**

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I'm hoping you liked the coroner's last line, because it was so much fun to write. Ah, and as for the cat in the box thing, that's in reference to Schrödinger's cat, which has something to do with superposition—look it up, it's really interesting. I too saw it on TV, so there was basis in that part of the story. I'm not sure if the next update will be as speedy, but I will work on it. Thanks for reading, and please review!

**Child of a Pineapple**


	5. Reminding

Ahem…it's been a month, I know. But, in honor of a late Christmas, New Years, and leaving you guys hanging, I stayed up til five in the morning to write chapter 5! When I'm working on this (and when I was working on SW) I seriously don't sleep much. But that's okay, because it's worth it when I get your reviews!

So…this chapter is pretty straightforward, so I don't have much to say. Uhm…I'm still fuming that there are only 3 episodes left…although "Go" was pretty hilarious…especially 'cuz at the beginning of season 5 the Titans were all asking BB, "Why don't you ever talk about the Doom Patrol?" but in "Go" he seriously would not shut up about them. Aw…he was so little and adorable…and they made fun of his mask, the meanies. But I guess I don't have room to talk, 'cuz…well, you read SW, didn't you? If not, then how do you even follow this story? Well, I guess you _could_ follow it, but you'd be pretty confused. So, if you're reading this and you haven't read Silver Wing yet, you should go read that. And reviewing it wouldn't hurt, either…

Ah, before I forget, does anyone know about the new forum feature? And more importantly, would anyone be interested if I made one? If you are, and have suggestions, please let me know, because I might be interested in putting one up. It sounds fun, anyway.

**DISCLAIMER** – Basically I still don't own Teen Titans…but James and Lucy are mine, along with eight very dead girls that you'll meet in this chapter. Creepy thought, eh?

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**Porphyria**

_Chapter Five—Reminding_

"You understand the terms, don't you Mr. Owens?"

The Shadow Man's voice was calm and contained, while James felt exactly the opposite. Every word upped his anticipation, and anger was throbbing in his skull. The icy stares of Shadow Man and the blonde girl did little to ease the tension. Still, James kept quiet, rather than risked receiving what he'd been promised.

"I understand," James finally responded, his voice quiet and strained. "I'll do everything you ask."

"Everything?"

James's gaze flickered to the blonde girl's steely blue eyes, and then returned his attention to the Shadow Man. "Everything."

"I believe you," the Shadow Man said seriously. "Remember that I trust you." He headed for the door, but when James moved to follow, he turned back, a smirk crossing his eerie features. "Don't worry. I'll bring Lucy to you."

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"How can somebody kill nine girls and not get caught?"

Cyborg's question had been nagging the Titans for five hours, he was just the first to speak up and break the silence that had settled over the team. The living room was buried under a sea of papers, and the Titans were scattered throughout the mess of police reports, background checks, newspaper articles, interview transcripts, and countless disturbing pictures. Surprisingly enough, there was an order to the madness—one space in the center was mostly clear, save for the photos of eight smiling young women, and a spot for a ninth.

"They all have the same hair and eyes, and they're around the same age," Robin said with a sigh, recapping what little they did know. "Add in that they all died the same way, and there's no denying that these murders are related." His features suddenly creased into a frown. "But whoever the killer is, he doesn't leave a trace of evidence. It just doesn't seem possible."

"Were there no suspects in the crimes?" Starfire asked, glumly scanning a set of autopsy notes.

"Sure there were," Cyborg said. He tossed a manila folder on to an already teetering pile. "But they were all innocent. Or at least they weren't proven guilty."

"Let's just start at the beginning," Robin suggested. "Who has the files on the first girl?"

"They're over here." Beast Boy sat up, waving a stack of papers. "Lucy Kove, age 17, died December 9th, 2000. Her whole family died three years before she did—after that, she lived with family friends, the Owens." He passed the file over to Cyborg, who was nearest.

"James Owens was the only suspect," Cyborg reported as he read. "His parents turned up missing about the same time, too. But his father was a shady guy, so I guess everyone just thought that he got himself into trouble and ran, because nobody was ever charged with their disappearance. And James was never convicted of Lucy's death."

"Did he have an alibi?" Robin asked.

"No," Cyborg said with a frown. "He threw himself off a bridge. His body was never found."

"Well, if that's not suspicious, I don't know what is," Beast Boy quipped.

Cyborg pointed out the window. "He jumped off _that _bridge, in January. You don't need a body to figure that one out."

The rest of the files were all very much the same—the second girl, Ava Branson, had been 15 and an honors student; then two 18-year-olds, dead within three months—Whitney Young, who had a flair for drama, and Sarah Tann, star player on her varsity softball team; there was a year before 16-year-old runaway Josie Kraft was found dead, and then Alexis Lewis, reclusive and depressed at age 17, was strangled only months later; the quiet Marly Ansen turned 15 two days before she died, and Nicholle Peters never finished her senior year. It had been quiet for two years since, until the death of this latest and yet to be identified girl.

Boyfriends, close friends, and neighbors were suspects in each crime, but none were ever found guilty. Including James, three of the men in question died before the rest of the murders even occurred. Miniscule details ruled out the possibility of eight very sadistic copycats, which left the Titans dealing with one very elusive villain—one that quite possibly possessed not quite human abilities.

"What does Raven have to do with all of this?" Beast Boy asked, glancing over a photo of Lucy, the girl that Raven resembled the most.

"Beside the fact that she looks like these girls, I'm not sure," Robin admitted. "I can't see Slade taking Raven just for this guy, but at the same time, he has to be involved. It's no coincidence that we were led to this case. This is just another way for Slade to toy with us," he finished angrily.

"You don't think," Cyborg started, "I mean, could he be behind it?"

"No," Robin said quickly. "Serial killer isn't his thing. Whoever this guy is, this girl is his obsession. She's haunting him, and in a twisted way, killing these nine girls is his way of coping with his demons."

Beast Boy stared out the window, a grim look on his face. "Let's just stop him before he makes Raven number ten."

00000000000000000

Terra watched silently as her master left, a limp form in his arms. At the doorway he paused, but didn't look back.

"I feel we've been neglecting the other Titans."

Terra didn't respond. She was expected or supposed to.

"There's a package on the counter," Slade continued. "Kindly deliver it to our one-armed friend."

He left without another word, taking Terra's hatred with him.

00000000000000000

Ever since the Puppet King incident the Titans had been considerably more wary when it came to mail, but after a sleepless night of scrutinizing countless files, Beast Boy was compelled to examine something other than a death certificate. He carried the brown clasp envelope to the kitchen, where the rest of the team was busy picking at their breakfast. They looked up curiously as Beast Boy tore off the top, but didn't say a word.

Silence reigned for a few moments after the contents spilled out onto the counter as all eyes were locked on the object, something they had last seen four months ago.

Beast Boy was the first to move—he reached out and gently picked up his blood-stained right glove, clutching it tightly in his metallic fist.

It was Cyborg who first noticed that he green friend was shaking, probably from a combination of fear, shock, and painful memories. He crossed the room and pried the glove from his friend's grasp, all the while eyeing him worriedly.

It was several minutes before Beast Boy dug up the courage to speak, and he when finally did, it was in a trembling whisper.

"If he has the glove, does he have…all of it?"

Robin couldn't quite meet Beast Boy's eyes as he confessed, "I went back a few days later, but it wasn't there. Maybe he…"

But Robin wasn't sure what else he could even say—none of them were. The message was resoundingly clear—even though the Titans hadn't seen him for months, they were all still pawns in Slade's game.

**TBC**

* * *

Seriously, I was _this_ close to mailing him the whole arm. I mean, the whole thing. Maybe all rotted and stinky, too. But apparently that's too mean, so all he got was the glove. But man, I really want to mail it to someone. In my original ending of SW (the one that led up to the two dead sequels), he found his arm in a box…I even made up a song, called "Arm in a Box." It was pretty cool.

I guess that's kind of creepy. Anyway, I'll be working on chapter six over the next few days, and I've had some great ideas for later parts in the story, so I'm pretty excited. I'm not sure when the next update'll be, 'cuz I'm getting my wisdom teeth pulled on Monday, and definitely not looking forward to it, then school starts, and I'm not looking forward to that, either. But I'm working on it—just remember to review, and let me know if you'd be interested if I started a forum on here.

_Child of a Pineapple_


	6. Awakening

Uhm…I plead the 5th. Really though, I've had major issues with this chapter, so don't get too mad at me. Oh, but I did post a one-shot the other day, called **Melody**. Please read it, 'cuz it only got three reviews, and I'm really bummed. It's sort of a Raven X Jericho fic, and I know most of you are BBRae people, so…Anyway, I'm sort of…in love with Jericho. Okay, maybe that's an overstatement, but he's officially my new obsession. Lucky for him I've already used the whole "slice off a limb plot," but I'm sure I can find something equally bloody. Hehehe…naw, the one-shot I posted is tame, along with the one I'm going to post after I get this chapter up, so he doesn't have anything to worry about…yet.

Since I'm already off topic, I guess it wouldn't hurt to go a step further and say I was really disappointed with "Things Change." I mean, I understood and appreciated how mature the episode really was, but after an entire season focused on unity, it was sad that the Titans didn't even spend the last episode together. I'm pretty much wishing they ended with "Titans Together," but hey, there's always fanfiction. 'Course, I've got this sinking feeling the TT section is going to be plagued by a BBTerra/BBRae war after the last episode, but then again, that might be entertaining. Although this story is pretty much a BBRae (just without the fluff and mush), I don't particularly care about pairings—but Raven X Jericho is growing on me. In fact, Silver Wing was originally a RaeRob. Betcha didn't know that handy fact. In case I ever end up famous, maybe that'll be a question on Jeopardy, and you'll know the answer. Or maybe not…

Okay, now I'll get on topic. Nobody really had anything to say about the forum idea, so that appears to be nixed. This chapter is focused on James and Lucy, who is really Raven. **From now on, any Lucy that I refer to (unless otherwise noted) is Raven.** I really hope that makes sense. Raven (as Lucy) makes a return in this chapter, complete with POV and a dream sequence (_in italics)_. As for the rest of the Titans…well, they'll be back next chapter, I promise.

**DISCLAIMER**—I do not own Teen Titans, although I've got my eyes on Jericho, in all of his adorable glory. Sadly, I spent an entire night trying to find a way to sneak him into this story, and couldn't think of one that wouldn't screw everything up. Anyway, I also do not own **Porphyria's Lover**, by Robert Browning. **Lines from the poem are bolded, and yes, I actually put one in this chapter.**

* * *

**Porphyria**

_Chapter 6—Awakening_

_It was dark._

_That one thought permeated her entire mind, waking her from her slumber._

_It was so very, very dark._

_It was distracting, this darkness. Part of her knew that something was amiss, but the rest was fixated on the undeniable blackness. It was everywhere—up, down, left, right; she was even shrouded in it. With a sinking feeling, she realized there was no way to escape._

_Then, without warning, there was a change, a pinpoint that was different from the ebony all around her. Not light, just a slight variation of the consuming darkness; slight enough that she almost mistook it for just another part of the void._

_But then the dot rushed towards her, magnifying until she had passed through it and glimpsed the world beyond._

_She only saw a snapshot of flaming red hair and piercing jade eyes before oblivion swallowed her once more._

00000000000000000

"You are not to wake her," the Shadow Man instructed. "She will do so on her own."

James nodded in understanding, but could not tear his eyes away from the sight before him. He hadn't seen such perfection and beauty since his beloved left him. James quickly corrected himself—this was his Lucy now.

"As I said before, she will know nothing of her past," the Shadow Man continued, his tone even. "Keep it that way. Tell her whatever you wish, as long as none of it concerns her true identity."

Once more James nodded, still too enraptured to turn away. Her hair fell short of her shoulders, the lilac locks mused, and her pale skin was soft to the touch. What had sealed the deal, however, was not her beauty, but her mind—a canvass, and James the artist. He could create her any way he liked.

"This is her identity now," James murmured, watching his Lucy breathe.

"Good," the Shadow Man said softly. "I will send my assistant in two days to check on you. She will awaken by then. And one last thing," here the Shadow Man extended a small case of pills, which James accepted. "She must take a pill _every_ day, or else all of our hard work will have gone to waste. We both know you would regret that."

His message conveyed, the Shadow Man took his leave. James was grateful—now Lucy was his and his alone. No one could separate them now.

James took a seat on the bed beside his Lucy, grasping her hand in his own. She was the picture of beauty, his Porphyria.

"**Her cheek once more blushed bright beneath my burning kiss,"** James murmured before leaning over and pressing his lips tenderly against hers.

To his surprise, she stirred at his touch, and her eyes fluttered open. He pulled away, and had less than a second to take in her eyes before they closed. In that brief time he saw everything he needed to see—her strength, pride, beauty, intelligence, and also her weakness, hopelessness, and vulnerability.

And all of it was his.

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"Lucy? Can you hear me?"

The voice was calm and gentle, but beneath that there lay a sense of urgency.

"Lucy?"

Now there was a slight tingling sensation as her nerves sprang to life. She could feel her hand enveloped in the firm grasp of another.

"If you can hear me, Lucy, just--"

Her eyes shot open and she gasped, as if she'd been holding her breath. After an eternity in darkness, even the dim lighting felt like fire on her eyes, but she refused to let her lids slide shut. Bracing herself she turned her gaze to meet a pair of piercing green eyes.

She studied the face of the man beside her intently—he was handsome, with curly red hair and thin lips that formed a crooked grin as he watched her wake. He wouldn't have been at all alarming, except that the longer she stared, the more she felt she was seeing his face for the first time.

"Are you alright?" he asked quietly, tenderly reaching out to brush away a lock of hair that had fallen across her face. Instinctively she tensed, and the stranger paused.

"You don't remember, do you?" His voice was infinitely sad. She showed no intention of answering, so he continued. "He warned me this might happen, but I didn't think…" he trailed off, looking away.

"Who?" she was surprised to find her voice raspy from disuse.

He looked back at the sound of her voice. "Dr. Wilson. You've been sick, Lu."

This was all too much for her to handle. She was lost—this room was strange, her companion was strange, and she had no idea of where she was or how she got there. Most of all, she was afraid, and afraid to be afraid.

Apparently noticing her distress, the young man leaned forward and placed a gentle hand on her shoulder.

"It's okay, Lucy," James said warmly. "I'll help you."

Right now the last thing she wanted was to accept help from this stranger, who obviously knew more than she did, or at least pretended to. But she was confused and afraid, and he seemed genuinely worried about her. Besides, what could she even do if he was lying?

Left with few options and too stunned to dwell on unanswerable questions, she nodded, evoking another crooked smile.

"How long?" she asked, despite feeling like her throat was coated with sand. In an instant James extended a glass of water and a small, round, orange pill, which she took, albeit hesitantly, doing her best to control her trembling hands.

"Over two months," James explained once she'd finished. "I was worried you…" once more he trailed off, and then shook his head. "It doesn't matter now. You look better already."

He traced her jaw-line with his thumb, only this time, Lucy felt no urge to recoil. In fact, she felt much calmer than she had been. Now that she actually thought about it, James had no reason to harm her. If anything she felt tinges of guilt for doubting him—all he wanted was to help.

James smiled once more as he watched Lucy, sensing the small battle raging inside her head. "There's no need to worry, my Lucy," he said gently, his voice caressing her. "I love you, and nothing else matters."

Lucy looked at him, nodding slowly as realization dawned. She was safe, she was loved. Nothing else was important.

**TBC**

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Well, there you have it—chapter six. I'm pretty much happy with this, 'cuz it's been a pain to write. Actually, this chapter is mostly based off the beginnings of a story I first started over a year ago, with the whole James and Lucy plot, sans the loss of limb.

So…hopefully you're not too confused, and you liked how this turned out. It's really important—pay attention to even minor details, 'cuz it all has a purpose. Oh, and the line about the kiss was from **Porphyria's Lover **in case you didn't notice the whole bold/drawing attention thing.

Ah, and if you'd like a cookie, find the chapter of Silver Wing that I stole the format for this chappie from. But you have to review to tell me. Mwahahaha…shameless plan to hike up the number of reviews…

Okay then, I've got to be going, because my sister, the eternal BBRae shipping fanatic, is bugging me to finish up and let her on. She's probably going to read a bunch of fluffy stuff and…--shivers--. Anyway, thanks for reading, and please review!

_Child of a Pineapple_


	7. Trapping

I swear I don't hate you. In fact, you're like friends, in an I've-never-met-you sort of way. So…hmm… Well, I don't hate you. But I seriously couldn't start writing this chapter—I had writer's block of death. Then all of a sudden the first part just came to me, and I got up early to type this up. I'm actually pretty happy with this chapter—but I guess I'm happy just to be getting a chapter up.

It's surprise how confusing it is to translate from the Titan's first names (which I use when I handwriting the chapters) and their super-names. So if I messed up and called anyone Garfield, Kori, Victor, or Richard, I'm sorry in advance. Which reminds me—did anyone watch that Smallville episode with Cyborg in it. Aww…I loved him! I'm not a super-huge fan of Smallville (unlike my sister, who's frighteningly obsessed), but that was a really good episode.

I just watched an episode of 'Without a Trace' with a husband and wife named James and Lucy. That's sort of creepy…but at least I'm not the only one who likes those names. One of the stray cats I take care of is named Lucy…and by the time I figured out he was a guy, the name had stuck.

**DISCLAIMER**—I don't own Teen Titans. I do have the 'Walk the Line' soundtrack downloaded on my iPod now, though that has nothing to do with this story. I just wanted to mention my love for Joaquin Phoenix, and Johnny Cash music.

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**Porphyria**

_Chapter Seven – Trapping_

The field was marshy as ever, complete with sickening, squelching mud that practically swallowed feet. Rain fell in sheets from the turbulent sky, just as it had the last time Beast Boy stood here. In five months, nothing had changed—even the damp scent of the storm was identical. From the corner of his eye, Beast Boy spotted a few run down and rusted pieces of playground equipment, but his attention was focused on something else entirely.

"Back again? I can't say I'm surprised."

Slade was characteristically calm and collected, locking his icy gaze on Beast Boy's. The shape shifter's eyes narrowed and he bared his teeth in a snarl.

"Where's Raven?" he demanded. He moved to take a step forward, but faltered, an overwhelming fear of that shimmering sword holding him back.

Not even the slightest gesture could escape Slade, who laughed quietly, perhaps even to himself. "See how little it takes to control you--a blade, inanimate, powerless even on its own. I'm the one you should be afraid of, Beast Boy."

Without warning, not even a change of expression, Slade lunged, with that wretched sword high above his head. Beast Boy dove to right, but the sudden movement had caught him off guard—he rolled, but came away with a gash in his left arm, trailing from his shoulder down to his elbow. As he steadied himself again, Beast Boy did his best to stem the blood flow with his silver hand, carefully looking away from the rusty stain that was already seeping across his metallic fingers.

"Oh dear." Slade's normally impassive face now sported a grin. "We wouldn't want you loose the other one, would we?"

When he lunged again, Beast Boy was ready, diving forward now—he turned in time to watch as Slade wrenched his weapon from the grasping earth.

"Tell me, have you ever lain awake at night wondering—why you?" Slade stood stock-still, watching Beast Boy with keen interest. "You know by now that this is all about Raven—you're merely a pawn, yet I've taken so much from you, torn your life apart, made you doubt every decision you've ever made. Would you like an answer, Beast Boy?" He paused for effect grandly, watching his opponent's eyes. "I chose you, because I knew you were the weakest obstacle. None of the other Titans would have failed to protect Raven."

The words were a knife, digging into in his chest—Beast Boy launched himself at Slade. His movement was rash, impulsive, and exactly what Slade had been waiting for. All it took was an effortless shift of his hand. By the time Beast Boy realized what was about to happen, it was too late.

In instant later, Beast Boy found himself with Slade's sword thrust through his chest, the point protruding out his back, between his shoulder blades.

Everything faded. Slade must have released his grasp on the sword—before he knew it, Beast Boy was on his knees in the mud, gasping for a few final, shuddering breaths, and Slade was kneeling beside him.

"You brought this end upon yourself, Beast Boy," Slade said quietly. "Your own actions brought you here—brought about your ruin, just as they brought Raven's."

Beast Boy raised his head and looked with blurring eyes past the dilapidated playground—and there she was. Raven. Her face was hooded, but in his last moments he felt her sadness, regret, anger, pain—all of it his fault. All his fault. All his…

He suddenly snapped back to attention when he realized Slade was still talking.

"…not that you've got much time left. In fact, I'd have to say we've come to the end of your story, Beast Boy. Good-bye."

The last thing Beast Boy saw before everything fell to darkness was the ground, running with blood instead of rain—

…_none of the other Titans would have failed…_

Gasping, Beast Boy shot awake, miles away from that bloody field, safely in Titan's tower. Still, he switched on a light, and scanned himself quickly—no gash down his left arm, no gaping hole in his chest—just a racing heart and jittery nerves. It was a dream, only a dream…

But he wished he could say it had been the only dream—for the past three months, Raven had haunted him every time he slept, much as Terra had before Raven was taken. In the month since they'd taken on the Kove case, there'd been no leads concerning Raven's whereabouts. The only thing they'd received was the name of the ninth dead girl—Delia Brown.

Beast Boy was calming down by now—he climbed out of bed and dressed quickly and quietly. He tried not to think too much about what he was about to do—the last time he'd followed one of his dreams, Raven had been taken. This time, Beast Boy would go alone, and eliminate that option. No one would care if he was the only one hurt by his stupid actions—better him than one of the others.

Still, Beast Boy couldn't help but imagine his friends reactions as he slid open his window and leapt out into the cool night air, shifting to a green and silver hawk as he went. Cyborg would chew him out, Starfire would be hurt that she'd been kept in the dark, and Robin would be stern, angry that Beast Boy was letting his obsessions rule him. Then again, Robin always was a hypocrite. The only Titan who would have understood was Raven—Beast Boy was suddenly reminded of his purpose, and picked up the pace.

As Beast Boy flew over the ramshackle part of town, he was overwhelmed with memories he'd done his best to banish. He hadn't been here since the fight five months ago—he couldn't have expected the return to be easy. Now the field was in view, and he landed, tense from the moment his feet touched the ground.

His surroundings were eerily similar to those in the dream—a downpour had started just moments before, the earthy scent permeated the air, and his feet squelched in the mud as he walked. This time, however, he was alone. Or so he thought…

Suddenly something caught his attention from the corner of his eye, out past the run-down playground. It was standing in exactly the same spot Raven had in his dream, but this creature was as far from his friend as he could get. It was a writhing, ebony mass—not really discernable as anything, yet at the same time obviously terrible. And now it was advancing.

Beast Boy had walked into yet another trap.

00000000000000000

Lucy had woken up screaming again. It only took James a fraction of a second to reach her, comfort her, but it was enough for the feeling of loneliness to engulf her. Loneliness that she knew, somehow, wasn't her own.

James said that these dreams were simply a result of her sickness—she'd almost died, after all, and if it'd been violent enough to wipe her memory, then logically it could bring about nightmares as well. Once, Lucy had asked if they could be real memories trying to resurface themselves—maybe of the night her family had died—but James had been quick to dismiss that idea. Her memories were gone, he said. It was time to focus on making new ones.

Still, Lucy knew that boy from her dreams—but as hard as she tried, she couldn't place him. In fact—she didn't even know what he looked like, because in the dreams she felt, rather than saw him. There was a connection between them, Lucy knew it, and she'd just have to try harder if she was ever going to uncover the truth.

Now both Lucy and James were in the kitchen, she sitting patiently at the table as he made her a cup of coffee. Neither one managed to sleep after one of her dreams.

"Tabitha said she'd stop by this afternoon, remember?" James prompted, trying to lighten the dark mood that was quickly filling the walls of the mansion. "Didn't you say that you wanted her to take you to the fish pond, out in the woods?"

"I did." Lucy had met Tabitha, at least in her own mind, just a day or so after she'd first woken up. In reality, they'd been friends since grade school—she was apparently the only one besides James who had stuck around after she'd lost her memories. Lucy enjoyed Tabitha's visits—they were the only time James let her outside—but this dream had put a damper on her mood.

"Lucy…" James sighed. "It was just a dream. There's no need to get so worked up about it. Have you taken your medicine?"

Those stupid pills—Lucy hated them. She never felt clearheaded, except when they were wearing off. But the last time she'd brought that up, James had broken vase in anger—she'd taken the medicine just to settle him down, then, and hadn't argued since. In fact, James had been watching more closely, making sure her doses were at exact times. It was a pain, really, but much simpler than fighting back.

He set a coffee mug in front of her, along with one of those little orange pills. Lucy downed the medication quickly, before he got the chance to tell her to do so. In that way at least, things were still on her own terms.

"Good," James murmured. "See, I told you there's nothing to worry about."

Lucy nodded. James was right—don't worry. After all, Tabitha was coming over, and few things sounded more inviting than a trip to the fish pond.

**TBC**

* * *

Oops! Did I forget to _italicize _that dream sequence at the beginning? Silly me…

Okay, sorry, it's just too much fun to mess with your heads. And to put swords through Beast Boy's chest…I mean…to…okay, it's fun to impale him. I can't help it. At least I didn't impale him for real…yet…

BWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!

Thanks for reading, and I'll get on the next update as soon as I can!

**Cop**


	8. Chasing

Hooray for speedy updates! I'm pretty much psyched about this story again—I was mad at it for a while. And just to let you know, that was purely Robin's fault—that annoying little…ehem…anyway…well, I was having some trouble writing him last chapter—so I decided to take out that part altogether and just make a mean comment about him instead. But that has absolutely nothing to do with this chapter, so I guess I'll just shut up.

Oh, did anyone watch the JLU episode with Speedy? He was so completely adorable…and he got thrown on a car! It was amazing…all two minutes of his screen time.

I don't exactly feel like writing an author's note today. So…I guess you can just go ahead and read the chapter, because I'm sure you'll skip the disclaimer. This chapter is pretty long, at least compared to some of the others.

**DISCLAIMER—**Let's just make things simple—I don't own Teen Titans--duh. If I did, it would probably air during Adult Swim, because most of my stories would scar the Y7 audience. James is mine, along with all of his dead victims.

* * *

**Porphyria**

_Chapter Eight – Chasing_

The creature didn't leave Beast Boy with much time to feel like a pawn—within a moment, it was advancing. Beast Boy shifted to a cheetah and bolted, but the twisting, pitch-black mass was faster and soon gaining ground.

Even without the slightest idea of what was pursuing him, Beast Boy knew he couldn't take it on by himself. Slade wouldn't have lured him here to fight a battle he could win—the dream had told him as much. Somehow Beast Boy knew that if the creature killed him, it wouldn't waste any time tracking down the rest of his team. He'd have to call the other Titans after all, and hope that together they could bring it down.

Unless the creature caught him before he got the chance. Lightning forked across the forbidding sky as Beast Boy shot past a pile of haphazardly strewn debris. A surge of ghastly memories threatened to overwhelm him, but he couldn't slow down just for a few painful flashbacks.

A moment later he was out of the vulnerable open field, darting between ramshackle buildings, on a chase that was hauntingly familiar. Suddenly, two buildings behind him were literally consumed by the creature, violently exploding seconds later. A shower of metal and wooden debris rained upon Beast Boy's retreating figure, some slicing into his flesh—and the creature continued to gain on him. Aware that his chances of winning a foot race were next to nothing, Beast Boy shifted to hawk form and took to the skies.

A feeling of triumph welled up inside Beast Boy as he rose above the hulking creature—it was at least the size of a three-story building, maybe even taller. Just as Beast Boy began to relish his escape, an inky tendril shot up from the creature, straight towards him. He managed to dodge it, but three more vaulted towards him. So the skies weren't safe, either.

Desperate now, Beast Boy swooped into a dive, aiming for a nearby window. He ignored the unforgiving shards of glass that cut into his skin as he blasted through the window and collided forcefully with the concrete floor. It was a warehouse—he hated warehouses. Quickly Beast Boy returned to human form, ignoring the cuts and bruises that covered his body as he fished his communicator from his pocket. He only had a minute before the creature would find him—already he could hear at least three nearby buildings explode.

"Robin!"

His leader's face appeared on the tiny screen, scowling deeply.

"I know. We'll be there in five minutes."

The screen went blank just as the walls of the building trembled with the creature's approach. How in the world did he already know? Then in clicked—the Titans were tracking Beast Boy—they didn't trust him to keep himself out of trouble.

Well, he mused as he transformed back to a cheetah and escaped the building only a moment before it exploded, maybe he was being a little too critical. Only a little, though.

Beast Boy skidded into a turn and faced the creature, trying to discern the best way to fight it. Touching it wasn't exactly an option, unless he wanted to be blown to bits, much like half of the abandoned sector of town. Running wasn't working out too well, either.

But his train of thought was interrupted as a blue beam shot through the creature's chest, followed by another, green one, and it howled in anger A quick glance to the creature's right revealed the T-Car, and the rest of the Titans. One of Robin's bombs exploded at the creature's foot—the creature swiveled and shot out a tendril at the teens, who scattered.

Beast Boy bolted for Robin, the nearest of his friends, shifting to his human form once he was only a few feet away.

"Don't touch it!" the shape-shifter shouted, eliciting a curious expression from his leader.

"What?"

Robin got his answer an instant later, when the creature, shrieking under a barrage of star bolts, stumbled into a two-story building, which consequentially exploded.

"See?" Beast Boy didn't wait for a response, shifting to a pterodactyl. He swooped towards Cyborg, snatching his teammate into his claws and lifting them both into the stormy sky. As soon as they gained enough height, Beast Boy dove, and Cyborg shot off a few blasts from his sonic cannon, straight through the creature's left shoulder. At the last moment they rolled in midair to avoid a tendril.

A succession of three bombs collided with the creature next—the howls tore at Beast Boy's sensitive ears. But suddenly, it stopped. With a violent, ripping sound, the creature folded in on itself, and then shot off into the sky, disappearing amidst the storm clouds.

Beast Boy deposited Cyborg safely on the ground, and quickly returned to his human form. The four Titans gathered in a tight circle near the T-Car, each scanning the skies nervously, on edge and expecting another attack.

"Somebody wanna tell me what that thing was?" Cyborg asked finally, gaze still cast upwards.

"That's a good question." Robin caught Beast Boy's eyes. "Do you know?"

"Why would I?" Beast Boy asked, narrowing his eyes.

"What were you _doing_ here?" Robin demanded. "Of all the places to go, why here?"

Beast Boy suddenly noticed that they were uncomfortably close to the pile of debris he'd noticed earlier. He shifted nervously.

"I had to come back," he said quietly.

"Why?" Starfire questioned, also obviously upset by their surroundings. Nobody wanted to be here, Beast Boy least of all, but that didn't change the fact that he'd triggered the events.

"I just did," Beast Boy explained angrily. "You didn't have to come."

"You called us," Cyborg pointed out.

"But you were already on your way here," Beast Boy countered. "How'd you know where I was?"

Robin sighed. "We tracked your communicator."

"Why?"

"It matters not." Starfire's voice was firm, but with tinges of concern. "You required our assistance to fight that monstrous creature."

Beast Boy was weary—he hadn't slept, and the chase had taken more out of him than he thought. Still, he was compelled to argue his case. "Yeah, but--" he was stopped by a sudden pain in his side.

"Look, let's just go home," Cyborg cut in. "You're bleeding everywhere, and you probably broke something else." Gently, Cyborg put a hand on his friend's shoulder and guided him towards the car—Starfire quickly opened a side door—Beast Boy climbed inside and dozed off before the door even shut.

00000000000000000

The afternoon sun did little to ease the autumn cool, so the two girls pulled their jackets about themselves a little tighter. To any outside observer they would have seemed to be typical teenagers, laughing and talking quietly as they picked their way across a forest path. One girl was pale, with a heart-shaped face and lilac hair that fell just short of her shoulders—the second's hair was longer and blonde, her complexion a few shades darker, and her eyes an icy blue.

Lucy treasured her visits with Tabitha, make no mistake, but she couldn't help but sense a rift. Perhaps they'd had a falling out prior to Lucy's illness, and Tabitha had merely felt bound to forgive her out of loyalty, based on a past friendship. Whatever the reason, her friend's words and actions were guarded, and obviously so.

But at least Tabitha wasn't as commanding as James. Neither had ever spoken of the past, but Tabitha alone seemed uneasy about it. Lucy sensed that with enough wheedling, cajoling, and maybe even downright begging, she might force the girl to crack. Since James was no where in sight, it was probably the best time to make her move.

"Tabitha?"

"Hmm?"

Instead of dancing around the subject, Lucy got straight to the point. "Tell me about the others."

Tabitha didn't even try to hide her shock. "What?"

"James told me that out of all my friends, you're the only one who stuck around. What were the others like? Who were they?"

"You're not supposed to ask these kind of questions," Tabitha said dismissively. "This could make things harder on you—much harder than they need to be."

Lucy stepped in Tabitha's path, stopping the girl in her tracks. "I need to know. Come on Tabitha, you two can't keep things like this from me. It's my life, I deserve to know."

"It's not your life anymore." Tabitha stepped around Lucy and continued, dead leaves crunching with every determined footstep. Lucy remained rooted to her spot.

"Well it was."

"They abandoned you, Lucy," Tabitha glanced back, but kept her pace. "What else do you need to know?"

Resignedly, Lucy followed Tabitha, but her interrogation was relentless.

"I want to understand why. What made them give up on me?"

"Believe me, you weren't the first one." Tabitha's tone was surprisingly bitter.

"What do you mean?"

Tabitha sighed. "James wouldn't like this."

"I don't care."

Another sigh escaped Tabitha's lips. "There were six of us, counting you and me." She paused.

"Yes?"

"Why do you even care?" Tabitha asked in exasperation. "What am I supposed to tell you?"

"Everything," Lucy said, without missing a beat.

"Look, they were your friends first—you knew them better." Tabitha was clearly agitated, but Lucy pressed on.

"Except I don't remember them, so now you know them best," Lucy pointed out. "What did you mean, I'm not the first one they gave up on."

"They abandoned me, too," Tabitha explained quietly.

Lucy could honestly say that she hadn't expected that. "Why?" she asked, after a moment of silence.

When Tabitha spoke again, she was obviously struggling to control some deep-rooted anger, maybe even pain. "Because they didn't believe in me. They didn't care enough."

Another moment passed quietly. "Did I abandon you, too?" she asked finally.

"We don't' have to go there," Tabitha said quickly.

"Yes, we do."

"It isn't important." Tabitha's tone said that the conversation was over, but Lucy paid it little heed.

"Why are you here if I didn't believe in you when you needed me to?" Lucy questioned.

Tabitha heaved yet another great sigh. "Okay, let me put it this way, Lucy. We weren't exactly the best of friends back then. But now circumstances out of our control have brought us both here, and there's nothing either of us can do about it. We have a lot more in common now, so we've got to stick together."

As confusing as that explanation was, it cleared a few things up. One, there definitely had been some bad blood in the past, and two, Tabitha was unhappy with her current situation—and as a third point, she didn't seem exactly thrilled about Lucy's either.

"Anyway, we're here," Tabitha said suddenly, snapping Lucy back to reality.

They'd arrived at the shore of a small, secluded pond, ringed by towering tress that cast the surface in a cool shadow. Their faces were reflected in the blue-green water, which lapped against the bank tenderly and cautiously. The wood was silent, save for the tittering voices of the unseen forest creatures, and the gentle cascade of the waterfall that fed the pond.

Lucy knelt and dipped her hand into the chilly water, amazed as one of the silky, smooth fish brushed against her fingers. There were about twenty goldfish in all, speckled white, red, and orange—each at least a foot long, except for their young, which darted between the elders.

"They're not afraid," Lucy said, slightly surprised by the boldness of the small creatures.

Tabitha reached in hesitantly, but the fish darted off the instant her flesh made contact with the water. The blonde pulled her hand back just as quickly.

"I guess they like you," she told Lucy, shrugging the moment off.

Lucy frowned, giving Tabitha a serious stare. "Alright, so what else?" she asked her friend suddenly, catching her off guard.

"I've told you enough," Tabitha said with a scowl. "Stop asking questions."

"Why shouldn't I ask them?" Lucy demanded.

"Have you been taking your medicine?" Tabitha shot back.

Lucy rolled her eyes, sick and tired of that question. "That has nothing to do with this."

"You're sick, Lucy," Tabitha said seriously. "I know you've gotten better, but you've still got a while to go. You need that medicine. And who knows—maybe your memories will come back once you're well again."

"James doesn't think so." Lucy stared at the water despondently.

"Well, maybe he's wrong," Tabitha suggested.

Lucy looked up, hope evident in her expression. "Really?"

Tabitha smiled and nodded. "Just stay on the medicine, okay? There's no telling what might go wrong if you don't."

**TBC**

* * *

Beast Boy just got tossed around a little bit, so that can't count as me being mean. I could have, like, had the creature eat him or something, but no, I was kind…for once. And that was officially the longest scene that Raven/Lucy has been in all story. I really enjoyed writing that bit between Raven/Lucy and Tabitha…but the good times are still to come.

My goldfish made an appearance in this chapter—there are actually eighteen of them, and we've had them for about 4 years now. They live in a pond in our yard in the winter, and in a tub in the garage in the winter. And yes, they do let you pet them, and the babies give fishy kisses. The big ones are all "rescued" feeder fish from the store, but the rest were all born in our pond.

So…I gave you a long chapter, and an update just a week after the last one. I am now officially a good person…or something like that.

As always, please review—you know by now that I absolutely LOVE hearing from you, and I'll respond if you're signed.

Cross your fingers in hopes of another speedy update.

**Child of a Pineapple**


	9. Lying

Hey. I'm sort of pressed for time, so I'll make this quick. I've been a bad girl and not updated for a while…more like, over a month…and I've even posted a fic for ANOTHER show while you were all patiently waiting for this chapter. Sorry – you know how those nagging ideas are. But if any of you watch Full Metal Alchemist, I did post a one-shot a couple of weeks ago. Check it out if you're interested.

I was going to try and focus on the Titans this chapter, and how their dynamics have changed, but that turned out boring. So, this chapter is a little different, because it's entirely from the POV of this story's antagonists. I was inspired by one of my favorite X-Files episodes of all time, "Hungry." I liver symbol Rob Roberts.

**DISCLAIMER: Do I need to say it? I don't own Teen Titans, or _Porphyria's Lover_ by Robert Browning (lines from the poem are bolded). I own James, and nothing else of importance. Oh, and the T-Blades. I totally own the T-Blades.**

* * *

**Porphyria**

_Chapter Nine – Lying_

He could sit and watch her all day. James loved everything about this Lucy – her quiet footsteps, her wide, innocent, violet eyes, and her silence. She would listen, utterly enraptured in the tales James wove.

It was a relief to finally find a new Lucy that would actually hear him out. Usually they fought, or even screamed – they were never quiet until the end. But compared to the still silence of those blank-eyed, failed Lucy's, this one's silence was a blessing. She was reasonable and receptive, two of the old Lucy's better qualities.

James tried not to think about the old Lucy too much nowadays, but sometimes he just couldn't help it. He'd hoped to carve a perfect replica of his Lucy with this one, but even she was falling short. Granted, she was as close as he could ever expect to get, but sometimes he felt cheated. He'd wanted it all – laugh, smile, mannerisms – but no matter how much he taught her, there were just some things he couldn't mold. He resolved to try harder.

Shards of sunlight cut through the kitchen bay window, surrounding this Lucy with a heavenly aura. Quietly he stepped up behind her, and gently, tenderly he caressed the side of her face, and then embraced her.

"**That moment, she was mine, mine, fair,"** he whispered softly, brushing a kiss against her cheek. A sigh escaped her lips, barely audible. "What's the matter?"

"Nothing," she breathed, pulling away.

James wrapped his hand around her wrist, and she paused. "Lucy."

"It's just…" Sighing, she turned and stared out into the garden. "I'm never going to remember, am I?"

Biting his lip, James pulled her close again. "No, Lucy, I don't think you will. But don't worry, my love," he assured her. "We'll make new memories, you won't need the old ones anymore."

She stared up into his eyes, frowning. "I don't even know who I am, James," she whispered.

James took a step back from her. "You're Lucy Kove." Anger rose in his chest. "You don't believe me?"

"I never said that!"

"Then take my word for it." James fought to control his temper and keep his tone even. "You are Lucy Kove, and you don't need your memories."

Lucy's eyes narrowed. "Why don't you want me to remember?"

There was no right answer to that one. He couldn't tell her the truth. She couldn't know that she wouldn't remember him, that the first time she'd met him was when she'd woken two months ago, that he was lying every time he called her Lucy. How could he explain that things were better this way? He loved her, unlike those faces from her past. They'd let her go, but James would never do that. His Lucy was everything to him, and if he had to lie to keep it that way…well, at least she had his love.

She was still waiting, a mingled look of hurt and confusion and anger splayed across her features. "Why, James?"

"Because….because they'll hurt you," he murmured finally. "You weren't happy before, Lucy, unless you were with me. Your life was full of pain and sorrow – and now you've got the chance to start over, without the grief and the heartache. I don't want you to be sad anymore, Lucy. I love you too much for that."

And it wasn't a lie, not really. Lucy had fallen still, and James waited with bated breath for her reaction.

"I'm sorry," she said finally. "I know you're just trying to help. But it's hard sometimes, you have to understand that."

"I know." He took her hand and squeezed it gently. "But you have to let me help you, alright?"

Lucy nodded, and James reached for the bottle of pills on the counter. He couldn't read her expression as he placed the orange pill in her hand, but he knew deep down she hated the medication. Still, she took it faithfully, and there was nothing else he could ask for. As long as the pills were working, Lucy was his.

In a few moments, Lucy had calmed and quieted, the last remnants of her anger evaporated. James smiled.

"I've got something to show you," he said suddenly, taking her hand and pulling her from the kitchen – she followed obediently. They entered the foyer and climbed the main stairs, turned down a few hallways and stopped before and upstairs broom closet. Lucy watched, obviously puzzled, as James pulled the door open, pushed aside a vacuum and a few dusters, and stepped inside. His hand instinctively found a small niche in the wall, and he slid the wall sideways, revealing a dark stairway.

"What is this?" Lucy questioned, but James only grinned.

"Come on." He led her through the closet and into the stairway. It was pitch black, but James had the path memorized – he carefully maneuvered through two flights of random twists and turns, and eventually stopped outside an oak door. If it hadn't been so dark, they would have been able to see the carvings etched into the walls and on the doors, similar to those all over the rest of the house, and the story's climax.

"Are you ready?" James asked in an excited whisper. He didn't wait for an answer, but swung the door open and let the brilliant light from outside pour in.

James and the first Lucy had discovered the balcony one rainy morning of their youth, and never told a soul. It was nestled away on the back of the fourth story, visible from the outside if anyone had ever bothered to look for it. It was small, maybe four paces long and five wide, and covered by a small overhang of the roof. The only furniture was a worn wicker table and two chairs – the set had been there prior to James and the first Lucy's discovery, but neither could ever figure out just who'd put it there. As for the railing – ivy had crept up and grown over it, but if it had been moved aside, much as James had done years earlier, more carvings would have been revealed, the end of the story the house told.

At first, Lucy was silent as she took it all in. Finally, she took a few steps forward and paused at the balcony.

"It's beautiful," she finally managed. "Look at the view." She gestured out to the forest, just now warming in the morning sun. The garden was just visible to her right, and the vast field was laid out before her.

James stepped up beside her and leaned on the rail. "It's yours."

"What?"

"We used to come up here all the time when we were children," he explained. "No one else ever knew about it. Now, it's your balcony, and you can come here anytime you're tired of sorting things out, and take a break for a little while. Up here, problems just seem to sort themselves out."

To his surprise, Lucy threw her arms around him and hugged him tightly. Aside from the occasional hand squeeze, this Lucy wasn't much of one to outwardly show affection. Quickly, James overcame the initial shock and hugged her back.

"Thank you," she said earnestly, still in his embrace.

"Of course, my darling Porphyria." He leaned in and kissed her gently.

"James," Lucy asked once they had broken apart, and he had headed for the doorway. "What happens in the poem? To Porphyria, I mean?"

With a crooked smile, James turned back to face his Lucy. "It's a happy ending, I promise. She and her lover are together…forever."

* * *

Destruction.

That was just about the only thing that ever ran through the creature's mind, if one could call it that. The barest flicker of recognition was about the limits of its awareness. Mostly, it just rampaged through the city, smashing, crashing, ripping, breaking, tearing.

Killing.

It hadn't killed at first – no, at first all it had done was obliterate a few buildings, maybe throw a few cars, send a couple of people off screaming. But the kills had started on the fourth attack – it had been a young woman, who'd been too busy crying for help to move from the street. One inky black tentacle had shot out and snatched her – a moment later her blood stained the street red, running in rivulets to the feet of her would-be saviors. They'd come easily after that, and the creature had taken to killing a least a few people with every attack. But after just a week or so of that, there seemed to be less of them in the street.

There were four who never left – the ones that were always in the way, whom he could never seem to kill. Not that it didn't hurt them – they'd carried the red-haired girl off once, and the green one always took a beating, yet still managed an attack. He was easily the peskiest of the bunch.

But today, he would die – if the creature knew anything behind those empty black eyes, that was it.

The rest had fallen – the mechanical one was struggling to his feet in the background, but he'd never make it in time. Now it was just the creature and its green nemesis. The latter was a tiger, crouched and ready to pounce, despite the futility. He knew the attack was hopeless, he knew he wouldn't come out of it alive, but the green one didn't seem to care.

He struck, and the creature devoured him.

**TBC**

* * *

Grrr….I hate this chapter…mostly because it was hard to write, and you guys have been waiting so long, and it's really short. But I did like writing parts of it, especially the last bit…it's hard to write from James's POV for so long. And Raven's tough too…I'm trying to make her into an entirely new person, all the while retaining at least a few of her old habits…but even those are fading, because of James's influence. So, yeah, emotional trauma and all that fun stuff. Man, these poor Titans will need so much therapy after I'm through with them – this is waaaaaay beyond Dr. Phil. Ah well, I wanted to introduce the balcony.

And, as for the ending…well, next chapter I'm gonna go back and explain things from the Titans POV. So…action…and blood. Yes, blood. You've been forewarned.

Well, bye then, and please review!

_Child of a Pineapple_


	10. Destroying

Well, here I am, skipping school 'cuz my dad's having a surgery (a minor one, so it's not a big deal) and I have to watch my three-year-old sister. So I was like, hey, I'll update my story…and that led to this exact moment in time. I actually got to watch Teen Titans this morning (for the first time in MONTHS), and at first I was like, hey, I'm seventeen and obsessing over a cartoon…but about two seconds later I was all, oh well, and dug out my notebook. There's nothing like watching Slade wipe the floor with BB to perk up my mood and motivate an update.

Ehem…just warning you, there's a little blood in this chapter… (YES!). No, I am not overly excited about that tiny fact…at least not in front of all of you. And there's at least one part that I consider gross, and another that some of you might find gross as well. But remember that thing about Kool-Aid that I mentioned back in Silver Wing? If blood bothers you, pretend you're reading about red Kool-Aid. I was gonna mention guts and all kinds of other supposed-to-be-internal stuff as well, but then I realized I wouldn't be able to rate this teen anymore. So…just blood. And it's not TOO bad. Well, not for you, anyway.

**DISCLAIMER** – **Why do I bother? I quite obviously don't own the poem _Porphyria's Lover_ by Robert Browning, nor do I own Teen Titans – if I did, you can bet it wouldn't be rated Y7. I do own James, and a bunch of spiffy Pilates stuff that I got for Easter. Man, Pilates is like, one of my new favorite things. But that has absolutely nothing to do with this story, so now I've officially wasted your time.**

* * *

**Porphyria**

_Chapter Ten – Destroying_

Slade had known, without a doubt, that his plan would succeed. First, he would weaken the Titans internally, crippling and eventually taking one of their own. He'd keep his captive occupied and safely out of the way, and unleash his new pet on the city. The Titans would fight valiantly, but the city would crumple around them, and one by one their team would fall, until finally, they'd be defeated. It was all very simple, and required little effort on Slade's part.

But to be honest, he was more than a little disappointed. He'd expected more of the Titans, thought that they would hold out for longer, and fight harder. Obviously that wasn't true. Perhaps he'd shattered their resolve more completely than he'd anticipated, or maybe Raven was so powerful that they couldn't keep up without her powers, let alone stand a chance when said powers were used against them. Or could it be that the Titans were, in reality, a group of children, struggling to make a difference, who were doomed to be overwhelmed and ultimately fail?

And as far as Raven was concerned, it was surprising how easily she'd succumbed to pills and an exceptionally skilled liar. Her role had been the weak point of the plan, as Slade had assumed she would kick, fight, and scream rather than quietly take some unidentified medication. But according to Terra's reports, Raven, or Lucy, had settled into her new life, and was actually quite content to take up this new persona without question. Once again, Slade had overestimated the Titans.

None of that really mattered, though. Yes, things had been much easier than he'd foreseen, but why did that have to be negative? The Titans were falling apart, a powerful beast obeyed his every command, and Jump City would soon be the first in a long line of conquests.

Why hadn't he thought of this sooner?

0000000000000000

It only took a month for the city to fall.

After the creature's first attack, the Titans had gone home puzzled, and maybe a little worried, but now they were running scared.

The first week had been quiet after the first attack, and the only casualties were a few abandoned buildings – it didn't even make the evening news.

The second week it began to escalate – there were two attacks, both downtown – and the second left Starfire unconscious for hours.

In the third week, the creature made its first kill. A girl -- brunette and no older than the Titans themselves – unaware of the chaos outside, had strolled out of a coffee shop and into the creature's path. Upon sighting the writhing, dark mass she'd frozen in the street, screaming as an inky black tentacle wrapped around her.

Her body had been shredded, utterly torn to bits, her blood running down to the sewer grates and staining the streets a deep, crimson red. And worse, it had happened right in front of the Titans, and they couldn't do a thing to stop it.

Nor could they stop the rampage that followed. The creature had taken to attacking every day since then, killing everyone it could reach. That had started a week ago, and the citizens had begun fleeing the city. Aside from the extremely brave, or extremely foolish, the Titans were all that remained. They'd called for backup, and the Titans East were due to arrive the following morning.

But that wasn't helping them now. In what used to be an industrial complex, the Titans were facing off against the creature once again, and running on their last legs. Everyone sported an injury of some sorts – from cracked ribs to cuts and sprains, they were in less than mint condition, to say the very least. None the less, they were still standing, so they still fought.

An inky tentacle shot out, and Robin dove right, evading it by mere inches. He rolled and tossed a bomb, which was followed by a barrage of sonic blasts and starbolts. Beast Boy shifted to an elephant, and effortlessly tossed debris in the creature's direction.

By now this was all routine, and completely ineffective. Although their attacks may have startled the creature at first, they had yet to do any damage, and as far as they could see, their enemy was only getting stronger. It had gotten to the point where'd they just dance around, creating a distraction until the creature grew bored and shot off into the sky, with a sound like the heavens were being torn in half. And with each day that passed, they were loosing ground.

And Beast Boy was sick of it. No matter how hard they tried, they weren't getting anywhere – the story of his life, at least as it had been the last six months. He was tired of feeling useless – but he'd been unable to shake the feeling. First he'd lost his arm, then Raven, and now the city. His entire life was coming apart at the seams, and he was powerless to stop it, just like he'd been powerless to prevent the deaths brought about by the creature.

But not anymore. One way or another, all of it was going to end today.

They'd tried every attack imaginable, and there'd been no effect. But they'd never tried attacking it from the inside -- probably because the chances of coming back out were slim to none.

Still, Beast Boy's mind was made up. He took in the scene -- Cyborg was shooting off blasts from his sonic cannon, near the base of the last remaining building in the area, and Starfire had pulled Robin into the sky for an aerial assault – not that they expected any results.

An inky tendril shot out towards him, and Beast Boy morphed to his green and silver hawk, barely dodging five more as he rose. That was all it took for him to loose his bearings and he spun off course, and crashed into the stone wall, feeling bones splinter at the impact. Stars exploded before his eyes and he fought to retain consciousness as he slid down the wall, landing at Cyborg's feet, shifting back to human form on instinct.

As he did his best to banish the pain and the haze clouding his eyesight, Beast Boy realized someone – Cyborg, to be exact – was pulling him to the back of the building, and out of the creature's sight.

"Beast Boy!"

Finally clearing his head, Beast Boy caught his friend's worried gaze and nodded.

"Y-yeah. I'm okay."

With that he rose, albeit shakily, and with a great deal of help from Cyborg.

"BB, are you sure--"

"I'm fine," Beast Boy cut him off, finally steadying himself.

Cyborg narrowed his eyes. "Nobody's 'fine.'"

It was true, but Beast Boy chose to ignore him all the same.

"Tell the others to pull back," he said instead, turning back towards the battle.

"What?"

"Look, just get them out of here." Beast Boy met Cyborg's skeptical look with an equally determined one.

"Wait, what are you--"

Cyborg fell silent as the ground shook – the pair looked up, only to realize that the building above them was finally collapsing, and they were directly in its path. Both bolted from the looming shadow, but only Beast Boy, recently shifted to a tiger, was able to completely escape, and the force sent Cyborg sprawling to the ground. From the corner of his eye, he watched as Starfire and Robin fell from the sky, just barely escaping a storm of black tentacles.

With nothing else in his way, Beast Boy headed straight for the creature, pausing only a few feet from its jet black form. He snarled, efficiently catching its attention, and the creature swiveled to face him. For a moment, both were utterly still, each waiting for the other's move.

Leaning back on his hind feet, Beast Boy pounced, sailing through the air towards the inky mass. He seemed to hang in the air just long enough to hope this would actually work, that it wouldn't all be in vain, before he was enveloped by the black mass.

An instant later he found himself drowning in darkness.

0000000000000000

Everything changed in a matter of moments. One minute, Beast Boy was beside him, and then he was pouncing towards the creature, and consequently swallowed up. Cyborg thought it was all over then, for all of them, but the creature reacted quite differently than he expected.

Instead of launching off into another killing rampage, the creature panicked. Roaring in fury, the dark creature released its victim -- Beast Boy fell to ground limply and lay there, twitching spasmodically. Still howling, the creature shifted and shot into the air, leaving the havoc and destruction behind.

Cyborg was the first to reach their fallen teammate. Beast Boy was covered in cuts and gashes, some mild and others bleeding freely. His left leg and wrist were both twisted at odd angles and obviously broken -- his eyes were unfocused and a trail of blood trickled from the corner of his mouth. Every few seconds his entire body would convulse, and with growing dread Cyborg's eyes flew to the tangled remains of Beast Boy's right arm. The metal was twisted and mangled, and Cyborg quickly realized that the arm was sending shocks throughout his body, causing the spasms.

"Get the car!" Cyborg shouted urgently, not caring who actually obeyed him, as long as someone did – and fast. Judging by the amount of blood already spreading across the ground, Beast Boy didn't have much time left.

He reached out and felt for a pulse, and was startled when Beast Boy spoke, his voice a ragged whisper.

"I saw…I saw…"

"Hang on, BB," Cyborg ordered, glancing over his shoulder. Robin was climbing into the T-Car, and Starfire was flying towards him. "Just keep still."

"…saw…"

Whatever it was Beast Boy was trying to say, it was obviously important to him. Cyborg leaned in closer.

"What? What did you see?"

Beast Boy's breathing was harsh and erratic, and he was struggling to keep his eyes open, let alone focused. Still, he did his best to look his friend in the eye as he delivered a message that shocked his friend into a stunned silence.

"It's her, Cyborg. It's Raven."

By the time Cyborg had regained enough composure to question further, Beast Boy had passed out, and the T-Car had pulled up beside them. After that moment, he didn't even have to time to consider what Beast Boy had said. He simply placed his friend in the back seat and took the wheel, stubbornly refusing to obey the speed limit. Starfire sat with Beast Boy, doing what she could to stop the bleeding, without any luck. Robin was silent, alternating between watching the road and Beast Boy's uneven breaths. The ride back to the tower had never seemed so agonizingly long.

By the time Cyborg laid Beast Boy out on the table, he was fading fast. The blood loss was severe, as the gashes covering his body were unrelenting, and the bleeding hadn't even slowed. His ribs were broken, along with his left wrist, and twisted left leg. Not to mention the tangled mess of his right arm, that was still sending shocks throughout his nerves.

It only took a moment for Cyborg to realize that his friend was going to die.

0000000000000000

Lucy was sick and tired of waking up screaming. It had happened again – this time, it was a flash of green swallowed in black, then a howl of fury that still rang in her ears. The nightmares had been filled with blood for a week now, and Lucy felt like she was drowning in it. Blood covered her hands, staining her skin and burying itself beneath her fingernails. And no matter how hard she tried, it wouldn't come clean.

James couldn't understand – he wouldn't even try. He brushed off the dreams as some representation of the terrors from her past. Inwardly she scoffed at his claims – no matter how many pills he forced into her hands, she never felt she could truly trust him – she couldn't even remember him. How was she supposed to believe that he was who he claimed to be, when he only offered those mind-numbing, orange pills?

And as James tried to calm her with cocoa, and her medication, it clicked. Some piece of the puzzle that she'd been missing all along fell into place, and suddenly her path was laid out before her. Feigning a smile, Lucy thanked James, who left her with a mug in one hand and a pill in the other. She waited until she could hear footsteps echoing across the floor above her, then crossed the kitchen to the sink and turned the faucet, letting the stream of cool water run for a moment.

Nothing could compare to the feeling of liberation as she washed away the cocoa and the little orange pill, smiling as they swirled across the stainless steel sink and trickled down the drain.

**TBC**

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Okay, so maybe I'm purely and utterly evil, because I spend days off tormenting innocent superheroes. But hey, you're reading it, so in a twisted sort of way, you're encouraging my bad behavior. But you should still review, since it makes me happy, and I'm super nice and updated in just over a week. Nice to you guys, anyway.

And I was nicer to Lucy/Raven in this chapter, too. So, I'm only kinda pure evil, and not purely pure evil. Hooray!

I'm also officially out of time, at least if I want to copy edit this, so buh-bye, and please review!

_Child of a Pineapple_


	11. Debating

Yeah…it's been more than two months. Sorry about that, but don't hound me, okay? I've kind of had a lot to deal with. Oh, and this totally would have been posted Wednesday morning, but a certain _document manager_ refused to upload it. So there.

**DISCLAIMER -- Duh.**

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**Porphyria**

_Chapter Eleven – Debating_

It was easier not to think.

Not to think about the gaping wounds, the shallow breaths, the twisted heap of metal hanging lifelessly at his friend's side.

Or the blood. He definitely didn't want to think about the blood.

It was everywhere – a rusty stain invading every corner of their lives. From that night in the field, to that girl lying shredded in the street, to that instant, with his best friend lying on a table, blood seeping from his body to cover sheets, bandages, hands.

Cyborg didn't really expect him to live, but that didn't mean he wouldn't try to save him.

Last time had been different – at least he'd had a chance. As grievous as his injuries had been, there was at least a glimmer of hope. But Raven was gone now, and with her Beast Boy's one shot at survival.

So he decided not to think, just to act.

But all that blood…

Shaking his head, Cyborg addressed some of the more serious wounds – two parallel gashes running from Beast Boy's shoulders to his abdomen. Cyborg reached for supplies and set to work stemming the blood flow and stitching them up, all the while monitoring the raspy, uneven breaths and erratic heartbeat on the screens above his head.

As soon as he finished, his attention was redirected to Beast Boy's metallic arm, barely recognizable now, and apparently sending shocks throughout his system. It'd have to be removed, or else that alone would kill him before the blood loss. After that there were more gashes, along with broken bones and God knew what else.

There was no time left to waste, so Cyborg shook his head once more and began the fight for his friend's life.

00000000000000000

_Where had they gone wrong?_

He had to keep his composure – he was the leader, the after all. But why did it have to be so _hard_, why couldn't he keep it all together when everything was coming apart at the seams? It was his job, his responsibility to stand firm, even when the ground was crumbling beneath his feet, because there were people counting on him. People he was supposed to protect.

People he had failed to protect.

Maybe that was it – maybe that was what made it near impossible to stay strong. Maybe that was why he'd barricaded himself in his room, sat at his desk and buried his face in his hands, struggling to keep calm.

The thing was, he should have known. Should have seen through Slade's traps and mind games, should have stopped Beast Boy's suicide mission, should have seen it coming before his friend leapt into the jaws of death.

But deep down he knew, he'd let it happen. He'd seen all the pieces fall neatly into place, seen the determined glint in Beast Boy's eyes before his final statement. He was going to end it – and he had. Robin had let a team member sacrifice himself – because who else would have done it? Who else was that desperate?

No, they all were desperate. But they were also afraid – too scared to make the leap, to put it all on the line knowing it was the last time, their last stand.

But Robin had taken the easy way out, and he couldn't forgive himself for that. This way, it wasn't at his command, and he hadn't needed to make that fateful order. And how could he have? How could he have told one of his own to essentially take their own life, even if it was for a greater good? Was that what being a leader truly meant – being able to choose who lived and who died, without regret? But how? How could he have chosen?

Now he didn't have to. And nothing could stop him from wishing he was the one dying in the med bay.

Someone knocked swiftly on his door, and Robin's head jerked up.

"Robin?"

It was Starfire, and her voice was soft and hesitant. Robin scooted his chair back and stood, crossing the room to his door and sliding it open.

Her bright green eyes searched his masked face for a moment, and she frowned.

"Friend Robin, are you…?"

"I'm fine," Robin responded, resolve in his voice. She already knew of his mistake, she couldn't know of his weakness, as well. "What's the matter? Is Beast Boy…?" He let the question hang, unsure of how to finish, or what he really wanted to know at all.

"I do not know." If possible, Starfire's face fell even further, and her gaze to the ground. "I have not heard from Cyborg since we arrived home."

"I see." Robin wasn't sure if he was relieved or not. "And what did you come to tell me?"

Starfire looked up once again, catching her leader's gaze.

"They're here."

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Speedy was no stranger to surprises, especially recently. He wasn't sure he'd ever be able to overcome to shock of Aqualad stumbling into the tower one night, to tell the team that Raven had been kidnapped, and, by the way, Beast Boy had lost an arm a few months before. Of course, the arm thing he could understand – that wasn't exactly a conversation piece – but he still, he had trouble getting over the verbal backlash Titan's East had received over events they'd had next to no involvement in. But still, if all the Titans didn't stand together, they wouldn't stand a chance, so Speedy was eager enough to answer a distress call from Jump City. Unfortunately, a string of bank robberies had erupted in their own territory just the night before, so only Aqualad was able to accompany him – hopefully that would be enough.

Needless to say, he hadn't expected the sight that met him there. Buildings were gutted, businesses were merely rubble, and a shopping mall had been utterly razed. Surprisingly enough, the damage was mostly centralized in less populated, or even abandoned sectors of the city, with only a few exceptions.

Now the two of them were seated on the couch in the living room, digesting the story Robin and Starfire had just finished retelling. To his left, Aqualad appeared to be lost in a deep thought, watching last traces of night slip away as the sun rose – Speedy however, wasn't as calm, despite his attempts to remain so.

"Wait, how long has this thing been attacking?" he asked, rubbing his temples furiously.

"About a month," Robin sighed. "I know, we should have called sooner."

"Yeah, you should have." Speedy shook his head before continuing. "I mean, it's like you guys keep forgetting that you're not the only Titans – we've been here all along, but the only time you let any of us help was when we came to you. You can't possibly handle this all on your own."

"We have to," Robin cut in, his voice determined, almost dangerous. "If we don't, then _they're _right – we are too young, and too inexperience to deal with real problems. Right now they're thinking that this was a mistake – how can we protect an entire city if we can't even protect each other? We have to prove them wrong."

Everyone fell quiet for a moment, and Aqualad finally spoke up.

"When was the last time any of you slept?"

Robin glanced at him curiously, as if the question was out of place.

"I…I don't even know," he answered a minute later. "This past week, no one's really had the chance."

"Go on to bed then," Aqualad instructed them, leaning forward. "We'll wait here, and keep an eye on things."

"What about friend Beast Boy?" Starfire asked, torn between a need for sleep and worry for her teammate.

"If we hear anything, we'll tell you," Aqualad promised. "Now go."

Robin paused as if he had something else to say, but decided against it. He and Starfire headed for the elevator without another word.

"Thanks, Mr. Calm-and-Unaffected," Speedy quipped the second the door had slid shut, casting a glare down the couch.

Aqualad shrugged. "You shouldn't be so hard on them. They're dealing with a lot right now."

"I can see that." Speedy sighed and shut his eyes. "It's just…why not call us before? You know, back when things weren't so out of hand?"

"Would you have?" Aqualad asked him seriously.

Once again, Speedy glared at his teammate. "Fine."

"We're here now, anyway."

"Yeah, yeah, I got it."

"You didn't see it happen," Aqualad added quietly. "You weren't here when Raven was taken."

Speedy turned to his companion, a careful expression on his face. Aqualad had never really spoken about what happened down in that cave – Speedy gathered that it'd been a terrible fight, an even worse defeat, and that they'd been lucky that anyone had made it out alive at all.

"I could tell things were going downhill before that," Aqualad continued, now staring out at the horizon. "But that's when it all fell apart."

"Do you think they'll ever find her?" Speedy wondered aloud, and half to himself.

"Not on purpose," Aqualad said with a sigh. "I don't know where else they could look. All they can do now is wait for Slade to make a mistake."

00000000000000000

Terra was surprised by how easy it was to lie. She'd assumed that at the first hint of falsehood, Slade would have killed her, or worse. Instead, he simply waved her off, apparently too intent on watching his pet destroy the Titans to pay any heed to Terra's reports.

So it was simple, really, to just say what Slade wanted to hear.

_No, sir, Raven has never questioned me about her past._

_No, sir, James hasn't let her out of his sight._

_No, sir, the only thing keeping me there is my loyalty to you._

But the truth was, Raven, or Lucy, as she was called now, had brought up her past, rather insistently, and to the point where Terra had been left with no choice but to give her answers, or at least half-answers. However, since that day at the pond, any other questions had been left unsaid, and Terra was saved from potentially dangerous conversations.

And James had started to slip on his guardian duties. On more than one occasion, Terra had arrived early in the morning only to discover that James wasn't home, and Lucy was asleep upstairs, and unguarded. Not that she'd ever bring the topic up to James himself – Terra had a sinking suspicion that James had returned to some of his old habits, and if was really stalking girls at night, Terra preferred not to get in his way.

The one thing that Terra was the most afraid to admit was that she'd started looking forward to her visits. As hard as it was to believe, she actually _liked_ her role as Tabitha – preferred it to her own, subservient life.

Then again, maybe it wasn't so hard to believe. Tabitha was a caring, compassionate girl, always worrying about her best friend, putting her own troubles aside for everyone else's. But Terra…Terra was a slave, bound by fear and hatred to a man too evil to describe -- Terra betrayed everyone she cared about, and was a pawn used to tear lives apart. And the worst part was, she wasn't even strong enough to try and break free. All she could do was live in some fantasy world, lying to a person who might have once been her friend.

As she pulled the old, teal Ford Taurus into James's driveway, Terra did her best to banish these unwanted thoughts. Instead she shut off the ignition, grabbed her purse and stepped out into the clear morning sunshine, heading for the oak door, ready to assume her other life.

Terra hadn't been aware that James even possessed a television, and she definitely hadn't expected to find Raven – _Lucy_ – seated in front of it, absorbing a news broadcast.

"…based on the wreckage found in the industrial park, authorities are still unsure if the Titans have finally managed to defeat the creature, or if tonight --"

Terra shut off the TV, much to the dismay of the girl before her.

"Tabitha? What –?"

"Why were you watching that?" Terra hissed.

Lucy raised her eyebrows in confusion. "It was the news. I just wanted to see what was going on, you know, outside of this house." She paused for a moment before adding, "Did you hear about that…thing…that's been tearing the city apart?"

Terra inhaled sharply. "Don't watch that stuff! How much did you see, anyway?"

"Why are you so upset?" Lucy asked, standing up. "It's just the news."

Realizing her error, Terra backtracked. "It's just…James doesn't want you watching things like this."

"Why not?"

"I don't know." Terra rolled her eyes, exasperated. "You saw how depressing it all is – he just wants you to be happy."

"But that doesn't mean it's not happening," Lucy insisted.

"Look, just don't worry about it." Terra sighed, finally regaining control of her temper. "It's not a big deal; I just don't want you to get in trouble with James. You know how he can be."

Lucy frowned, but didn't argue any further. Still, something about the look in her eyes just didn't seem…right, somehow.

"What's going on?"

James was leaning in the doorway, an unreadable expression on his face.

"Not much," Terra lied as nonchalantly as possible. "We were just thinking about going on…."

"A picnic," Lucy interrupted. She caught Terra's gaze, and gave her a look that plainly said, _this isn't over yet_. "Would you like to come?"

The conversation went on, but Terra was lost to it. That look in Lucy's eyes…there was something there that wasn't supposed to be. But what was it, and what had put it there?

Somehow Terra already knew she wasn't going to like the answer.

**TBC**

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Sorry if I seemed a little short with you guys before…it's just, I really hate this chapter. Oh, and I'm pretty much hating Robin right now, too, 'cuz he's such a pain to write (don't ask me why, I just have trouble writing him) but his POV was the only one that would fit, and I wanted to make him hate himself as much I hate him. Not that I have a problem with him normally…he's a fine, upstanding young gentleman…we just don't get along too well. I had a hard time keeping him in character, so he might seem kind of off…but do keep in mind, one of his teammates is missing indefinitely, another is busy dying, and dang it, he's tired.

And I only brought two of the Titans East into the story because I didn't want to overload it with characters. And I chose those two for reasons…Aqualad because he has previous involvement with the ordeal, and Speedy because I love him…I mean, because Bumblebee's the leader and had to stay behind, and I didn't want to deal with Spanish (I've taken two years of that class and still can't speak it worth anything). So, yeah…that was completely justified.

Oh, but I'm not too sure how I did with Speedy…I wanted him to be angry, but trying not to be, but ending up angry anyway…I'm just not sure how that came across. And Aqualad was supposed to balance that out. Yeah, that whole scene was a total experiment that I'm actually not unhappy with, and maybe kind of excited about. Hooray for not hating everything!

Sorry if the switching between Terra/Tabitha was confusing at all. If you didn't know it already (I think most of you did), they're the same person. Dun dun dun! I've wanted to put her POV in the story for a while now, and that beginning of the part was something I wrote just after I posted the last chapter.

Yeah…neither Beast Boy nor Raven had a POV in this chapter…and it was evil of me to leave those out. But…I'm an evil person, so…yeah. Raven/Lucy should have a POV next chapter – as for BB…well…I can't tell you.

Okay, so…sorry once again about the long wait. Hopefully you'll still review – nudge, nudge, wink, wink.

**Child of a Pineapple**


	12. Realizing

Okay…well, I'm not dead…this story has just been a brat, and my attention has been…diverted…to another story I've started working on. But never fear, I'm not abandoning this one. I'd like to finish this before I start any other multi-chapter fics. But I have been more motivated to get somewhere with this story…and I have. Like, there is an end in sight…maybe I don't know exactly how many chapters are left, but still. It's there. Just don't freak, 'cuz we've still got a bit left to go.

Oh…and this is totally off topic…but I turned 18 on Friday. Yep. So, happy birthday to me and all that jazz.

Okay, important announcement – this chapter actually contains Starfire's POV (gasp). **Justice of the People** so kindly pointed out that I rarely use her perspective…and by rarely, I mean never…and ever so sweetly demanded that I write her for a change. So I did. Ahem…well, okay, that wasn't an important announcement at all – I just wanted your attention. Thanks.

**DISCLAIMER -- God, do we have to keep bringing this up? I don't think you understand how painful this is. I don't own them, okay? Now, go ruin someone else's life.**

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**Porphyria**

_Chapter 12 – Realizing _

She hated the silence.

It just felt so undeniably _wrong_ for the tower to be so quiet. Usually it was full to bursting with sounds of life and happiness.

Unfortunately, those two things had escaped the Titans of late.

Now Starfire was drearily floating down the still hallway towards Robin's room for the second time that day. It wasn't that she expected him to actually be asleep, but she was still loathe to disturb him. Robin hadn't taken what happened last night well, and Starfire was anxious. There had been so many blows to Robin's confidence these last few months, she worried he'd lose the strength to continue. But this was _Robin_, and she doubted he'd give up without a fight.

She only knocked twice before the door slid open and Robin looked up from his desk, which was surprisingly blank. The papers that usually littered the top had been swept off to the floor, and were strewn about the room haphazardly. His mask hid the dark circles that undoubtedly rimmed his eyes, but his exhaustion was evident nonetheless. The slumped and defeated posture, the wan tint to his skin, even the glance he cast in Starfire's direction gave it away.

"Starfire? What's the matter?"

"Nothing." It didn't feel right, lying to Robin, but Starfire already knew he wouldn't allow her to worry over him. And it had been a long time since anything had felt right at all. "I just received a message from friend Cyborg on my communicator – he wishes for us to join him in the medical bay."

His lethargy forgotten, or most likely ignored, Robin was by her side in the hallway an instant later.

"Do you know if…?"

"I do not."

With that, Robin fell silent, and the pair made their way to the elevator. As desperately as Starfire wished to fill the void, she didn't know what to say. Words weren't going to fix anything.

Starfire knew there was no way she could prepare herself for the sight that met her in the med bay, but she hadn't thought that it would shake her as deeply as it did. The figure before her on the bed was so pale he could have been dead, if not for the movement of his chest as it rose and fell with each ragged breath, and he was swathed in a mass of bandages, which were thankfully a pristine white. Still, what bit deepest was what wasn't there – Beast Boy's metallic arm was reduced to a few twisted scraps on a table in the corner. Seeing him without it, Starfire was reminded of the last time she'd seen her friend in such a terrible state.

Beside her, Robin clenched his jaw and glanced to Cyborg. He was obviously running on his last legs – not even his machine half could hide his weariness. Still, he stood up from his perch on the bed adjacent to Beast Boy's and crossed the room to one of the large panels displaying information Starfire couldn't begin to comprehend.

"The bleeding finally stopped," he offered, turning back to face his friends. "But…I don't know. I'm not sure he'll make it."

Starfire shook her head in protest. "He must! Beast Boy has suffered too much for it to end like this. We cannot let him die."

"I know, Star," Cyborg sighed. "But we've done all we can. Now we just wait."

Frowning, Starfire dropped her gaze back to Beast Boy's still form. "Why would he do something so reckless?" she asked finally, desperate for some way to reconcile what had happened to her friend.

"To protect us," Robin said simply, not tearing his eyes away from where Beast Boy lay. "He knew it would come to this eventually – and he didn't want any of us to be in danger."

The room fell silent, save for Beast Boy's harsh and erratic breaths, as everyone searched for something to say.

"He was awake when I found him," Cyborg managed a moment later – both Robin's and Starfire's gazes snapped to his, and he continued. "He was trying to tell me what he'd seen."

"What do you mean?" Robin interjected, brow furrowed in confusion. "Inside that…thing?"

Cyborg shrugged. "I don't know. But he said…he said it was Raven."

"…Wait…what?"

The three Titans glanced back to find Speedy and Aqualad standing in the doorway, neither one completely aware of what was going on.

"Hold on a second." Speedy cocked his head sideways, obviously confused. "That thing that's been attacking you is _Raven_?"

"No," Starfire said firmly. "Raven would not attack us."

"Yeah, who knows – maybe the creature made BB see something that wasn't really there," Cyborg added. "We don't know what that thing can really do."

"No…think about it." Robin was frowning, deep in thought. "Raven wouldn't attack us, but Slade would. And if she doesn't have control of her powers…"

Starfire gasped, hands flying up to cover her mouth, as realization dawned on her.

"Is that even possible?" Aqualad asked quietly – Robin nodded.

"It's happened before," he explained. "Raven couldn't control her powers, and they took just started…working on their own. They were almost like a new being entirely, and it could do everything Raven could. And now that Raven's disappeared, this creature started showing up--"

"So what did you do before?" Speedy asked. "How did you stop it?"

"We couldn't," Robin replied, shaking his head. "It disappeared when Raven gained control of her powers."

"You mean there's nothing we can do to stop it?" Aqualad questioned, disbelieving. Robin merely shook his head.

Cyborg sighed and took back his seat on the bed, staring balefully at Beast Boy's prone form. "We're right back where we started."

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Since its first appearance, the creature had always attacked at night. Needless to say, Robin was more than a little taken aback when the alarm sounded late that afternoon, barely six hours after the meeting in the med bay. Still, the Titans sprang into action, save for Aqualad, who stayed back to watch Beast Boy.

The sun's fading rays reflected eerily off the ebony surface of the creature as it towered over the four teens standing back to back above an outdoor amphitheater. They braced themselves as the creature howled, and at least thirty of the writhing, black tendrils shot off into the air, hovered, and then dove to meet the Titans below. At Robin's command they scattered, dodging the black whips that lashed out at them.

As the tendrils retracted, Robin turned on his heel to face the creature, and watched as the others did the same. He gave one swift nod, and they readied for the attack. A moment later a barrage of sonic blasts, starbolts, arrows, and bombs hurtled toward the creature. Just as they'd planned, all of the missiles met their intended mark – the black void where a face would have been, had the creature possessed one. It was what came next that surprised them.

Instead of howling in fury and returning with an equally, if not more, vicious attack, the creature screamed – the shriek tore through the air more ferociously than any of its shouts of anger had in the past. Two clawed black hands clutched at its face as the creature staggered, then stumbled backwards down the hill and out of sight, still screeching in pain. The sounds began to die away, and the Titans soon realized that it was actually retreating.

The rest of the team jogged over to meet Robin, who was still watching the hill, halfway expecting the creature to reappear.

"What just happened?" Speedy demanded, alternating glances between Robin and the spot where the creature had vanished. "I thought you guys couldn't hurt it before."

"We couldn't," Cyborg agreed. Frowning, he caught Robin's gaze. "You think maybe BB did something to it?"

"He must have." Robin shook his head in disbelief. "I don't understand, though. Why would it just leave like that?"

"Friend Cyborg is right," Starfire responded. "Beast Boy must have injured the creature when he attacked it before. Nothing else has changed."

"C'mon, let's just go," Cyborg suggested. "No use sticking around here."

Reluctantly, Robin followed the others back to the T-car. Still, he just couldn't shake the feeling that something wasn't right.

Cyborg drove, as usual, and Robin rode shotgun, all the while staring out at the buildings as they passed, not saying a word. The conversation from the backseat was subdued, and no one was at ease. But it wasn't until the tower was once again in view that they heard it – that too-familiar howl.

Although he made a move to slam on the brake, or at least jerk the steering wheel, Cyborg couldn't move fast enough to avoid the creature. An inky-black tendril snaked its way towards them, and wrapped itself all the way around the car, encircling it from one end to the other. With a jerk, there was a terrible, wrenching sound as the car was hewn in half, and Robin found himself rising into the air.

The car hadn't exploded yet, which Robin counted as a blessing, seeing as most everything else that came in contact with the creature was destroyed in under a second – apparently Beast Boy really had done something to the creature. But Speedy, who had been sitting directly behind Robin, was no where to been seen, and the other half of the car, which had held Cyborg and Starfire, was still on the ground – neither of them were visible, either. Which left Robin in a very precarious situation – his seatbelt held him fast and the car was rising quickly – he was already high above the creature's head. He'd either have to jump, and hope he survived the fall, or sit tight and hope the creature decided to put him back down again.

Rather than wait for the mercy of a creature that seemed to have none, Robin took his fate into his own hands. He unlatched his seatbelt and clambered onto the top of the seat and rose – the top of the car had been mostly torn off and left with the other half, so he was able to stand, and face the ground, some four stories below him. But before he had the chance to jump, the car jerked, tipped, and tumbled, nose first, to the ground.

The impact came soon after – the engine crumpled into the ground, and Robin was thrown violently backwards and into the windshield, which had shattered when the car had initially been split in two, and only splintered further when it met the pavement. At that same moment, the car lurched, then rolled back and came to rest on its remaining wheels, then slumped to the side and came to a complete stop, hissing as it settled.

Robin, however, paid little attention to all of that. When he'd been launched into the broken windshield, he'd caught on one of the gleaming shards of glass that were still lodged in the frame. He bit back a gasp as a shard, about the size of a standard ruler, pierced the back of his right thigh, sliced through his leg, and emerged again on the other side. With his hands on the hood of the car behind him, he raised himself up, but even that movement jostled his leg enough that the gash was torn wider, sending out relentless waves of pain. A pool of blood steadily collected around him, and Robin quite suddenly realized that unless he could tear the shard from his leg, he wasn't going anywhere.

To make matters worse, the creature was approaching. Mustering what strength he had left, Robin dove sideways, efficiently breaking the glass away from the frame, biting his lip to stifle a cry of pain as it slid through skin and muscle. He rolled off the hood and crouched to the side, but the glass was still imbedded in his leg, preventing any attempts at escape. There was now a slit, at least three inches wide, stretching across his leg, and he couldn't help but watch, morbidly fascinated, as his blood worked its way down to the pavement.

The creature was almost directly above him now, rearing up and ready to strike – but instead of dealing out a death blow, the creature shrieked and shied away from a burst of starbolts and arrows. The attack continued, driving the creature backwards, until eventually it howled once more, then shot off into the darkening sky.

Footsteps were now approaching – Robin made a move to stand, but stumbled, barely catching the side of the car. But despite his efforts he lost his footing and slipped again – only this time, a pair of strong, metal hands caught him from behind.

"Take it easy." Cyborg's voice carried the suspicious hint of an order, and Robin complied, allowing his friend to lean him against the car. The edges of his vision had started to blur, and he could feel the blood loss beginning to take its toll. Something jarred the glass still deep in his leg, and he couldn't help but hiss.

"Sorry," Cyborg apologized, and Robin's attention snapped back to his friend's face. "But we can't leave it in your leg like that."

"I'm fine," Robin managed, shaking his head furiously, then frowning as his temple began to pound. "Cyborg…"

"Don't worry about it." Cyborg sighed. "Just rest, okay?"

Rest? But he couldn't – they had to fight the creature.

No, wait…they already had, hadn't they? Something was wrong – his mind wasn't working right, and everything had begun to fade to black. All of a sudden, a sharp pain tore through his consciousness – what was going on, again?

Realizing that Cyborg was right after all – he really should just quit thinking about it – Robin relaxed and let the darkness claim him.

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Starfire paused in the doorway of the med bay, casting one last glance to the still forms inside. Robin had passed out right after Cyborg had pulled the shard from his leg, but was now sleeping soundly – Beast Boy, on the other hand…well, no one was really sure yet.

With a sigh she slipped into the hallway and boarded the elevator. Speedy had shown up to take over the watch, and she was more than ready to sleep. But as she floated down the hall to her room, her attention was redirected to Cyborg's – the door was still partially open, and light flooded through the crack. Curious as ever, she approached, and knocked softly.

"Friend Cyborg?" she asked softly, leaning into the opening so that her head stuck through. Cyborg had his back to her, and staring down at what appeared to be blue-prints.

"Oh, hey, Star." He glanced at her over his shoulder. "Come on in."

The door slid the rest of the way open at her touch, and Starfire stepped fully into the room, glancing around at the computer equipment lining the walls. When Cyborg showed no intention of speaking up again, she stepped forward to get a better view of what he was working on.

"What is it you are designing?" she asked, peering at the sheets spread out on the counter. "Another T-car?"

"No." Cyborg paused, and seemed almost hesitant to clarify – he didn't even look up to meet her eyes. "It's another…"

"Another what?" Starfire prompted. Finally he caught her gaze, and sighed.

"It's for BB," he explained, giving her a better look at the prints. "The last arm I built was trashed, and he'll need a new one when he wakes up."

For a moment, Starfire was unsure of what to say. But then she flashed a warm smiled, and nodded. "You are right. But…this one will be shiny, too, will it not?"

"'Course it will. And see, I'm trying to improve on the last design – you know, work out a few…"

And as Cyborg trailed off into explanations of machinery that probably only he understood, Starfire was just glad that at least one person in the tower still had hope.

**TBC**

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Wow…that was like, the happiest sentence I've written in a really long time. I'm actually kinda creeped out right now. 

And yeah…sorry about the complete lack of Lucy/Raven's POV…again…I'll get to her next chapter, I promise. Really.

Oh, and if you're mad about me being mean to Robin…it's not my fault. Seriously. Blame **Justice of the People** – see, she's my friend inthe real world, so I talk to her about this story on the phone and stuff, and she was helping me with this chapter…and her advice was to injure Robin. And you know what else? She wanted me to put a _stop-sign_ pole through his leg, so he really got off easy. I mean, that thing probably would have taken off his chicken leg. Yeah, I said it.

Well…that's about it. I've got the beginning of the next chapter written already, so maybe that update will come sooner. But then again, look at the last time I said that.

Anyway…don't be a lurker! Review, review! Seriously, though, I eat lurkers for breakfast.

Lots of luff to you all!

**Child of a Pineapple**


	13. Abiding

So, it really hasn't been too long since the last update…and this chapter really has been a brat. But here I am, finally, with what's almost the last installment of this story. After this, there are only two (maybe, MAYBE three) chapters to go. Really…I know that seems pretty quick, but there really isn't a whole lot left that needs to happen. And as of right now, I'm putting all the action-stuff in one chapter. So…yeah. This ride's about over, folks.

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**Porphyria**

_Chapter 13 – Abiding_

Well, that was stupid.

Really, though, out of all the dumb things Beast Boy had done in his life, that one was near the top of his list.

What had he been thinking? _Hey, maybe, if I jump into this gigantic black monster that blows up everything it touches, it'll go away._

Pretty much.

And where had it gotten him? He couldn't really say – it didn't really seem to be a place at all, it just sort of _was_, if that made any sense at all. He was almost positive that he wasn't dead – not that he had anything to compare it to – but it didn't feel like life, either. Maybe he was somewhere in between.

But there had been something else, between the jump and this place – something important. So important, in fact, that he distinctly remembered holding on to consciousness for as long as possible, just to try and tell his friends what he'd seen. He wasn't sure if they'd gotten the message.

The question, however, remained – what _had_ he seen? And where had he seen it?

It must have been inside the creature, as illogical as that seemed. Because that would mean that he hadn't been alone in there after all.

No, he hadn't actually _seen _it – it had all been in his head. But didn't that mean that it wasn't real after all? What if he was focusing all this effort on something he'd only imagined?

Then again, it wasn't like he had anything else to do. So, he decided to remember.

_Dark. Everything around him was black – an ebony veil that his gaze couldn't pierce. And the silence – it was just so unimaginably _quiet_. With a sickening lurch, he realized that he couldn't even hear his own heartbeat._

_Was this death?_

_Without quite perceiving why, he suddenly knew that he wasn't alone. And then, there she was, just a few feet away. Her lilac locks – the color the only life in a world of death – much longer now, fluttered around her, and her eyes flashed in the darkness. A word formed on her lips, but across the coal-black vortex, he couldn't make it out._

_L…_

_He had to know. If he could only hear her message, he knew he could find her._

_Lu…_

_What?_

With a start, the image faded, and his senses returned, and with them, pain. He was free of that _other_ place, and of the creature's grasp – and someone was calling him.

"BB? C'mon, wake up."

That was the last thing he wanted to do – waking meant pain, and poking and prodding, and lectures, and all sorts of terrible things. At least it hadn't hurt in that half-way place. Still, he had to tell them what he'd seen, so he was left with no choice but to force his eyelids open.

He had time to register Cyborg's blurry face above his before he was assailed by another fresh wave of agony, and his eyes fell closed again as he tried to block it out.

"Hey." Cyborg was talking again, so Beast Boy opened his eyes for a second time. "You're awake."

"…Yeah," Beast Boy managed a minute later, already out of breath and hurting all over. "Unfortunately."

Cyborg chuckled, and Beast Boy realized that the half-robot was in a chair next to his bed. "I'm just glad you're back with us," he said, obviously relieved. "It was touch and go for a while back there."

That didn't surprise Beast Boy one bit – in fact, he was more than a little shocked that he'd survived at all. But by now something else had caught his attention – he turned his gaze to his side and was met with an unwelcome sight.

"I had to take it off," Cyborg explained quietly, and Beast Boy glanced up at him. "When you were hurt, it was messing with your system – sending shocks through your nerves – eventually it would have killed you."

Beast Boy nodded in understanding, and recalled a dim image of himself, sprawled in a pool of blood, powerless as the sparks coursed through his body. He shouldn't have lived…

"But anyway," Cyborg was saying, "I built you another one – Star says it's shinier than last time, but I'm not sure."

"Cyborg?" Beast Boy felt his eyes sliding shut once more, but he couldn't sleep yet. "Thanks."

"No problem."

He fell silent, but refused to slumber all the same. There'd been something else he'd wanted to say, but for some reason, his mind kept wandering away from the task at hand. Maybe if he could stay awake long enough, it would return to him.

"How long…was I out?" he asked finally, eyes still shut tight.

"Over two weeks," Cyborg informed him. "You had us worried."

"Sorry."

"It's okay – you're alright now."

"And what about the creature?" Beast Boy asked next, almost dreading the answer. He had no idea what kind of havoc it could have wreaked in his absence.

"It's still around." Cyborg hesitated before continuing. "But you did something to it, BB. It's weaker – we can hurt it now. But…"

Beast Boy opened his eyes and looked up into his friend's troubled face. "What?"

Cyborg frowned. "Robin was hurt, right after you were." At Beast Boy's horrified expression, he quickly added, "but he's alright – his leg was cut up pretty bad, and he's on crutches, but he'll be fine."

Satisfied, Beast Boy closed his eyes again, but couldn't help but question further. "Cut up how?"

"He sort of went…through the T-car's windshield."

Grimacing in sympathy, Beast Boy fell silent for a moment before bringing up the one question he was desperate to ask.

"And Raven?"

"Nothing – we haven't found anything else."

Suddenly, it clicked – the creature, Raven – and Beast Boy knew what he'd been trying so hard to remember.

"Cyborg, it's her," he said urgently, not caring about the crushing pain in his chest, or the jolt of agony that shot up his body with every movement. "It was Raven."

Seconds later he realized just how crazy that sounded, but to his surprise, Cyborg nodded.

"That's what you said before." So he had heard him. But still…

"It doesn't make any sense," Beast Boy said miserably. "How can it be her?"

"See, that's the thing." Cyborg's tone was hushed, as if he barely believed the words himself. "We were talking about it, and…do you remember when Raven lost control of her powers, and they started acting on their own?"

"Yeah." And then, "_Oh_…"

"And if somebody else could control that thing…"

"Slade." Beast Boy's voice held no question, only anger. Beside him, Cyborg nodded.

"But I've been thinking about it even more," Cyborg continued, "and if that creature's really made up of Raven's powers, then don't you think it can do anything Raven can do?"

Beast Boy nodded, even though he wasn't sure where this train of thought was headed.

"So it must have her healing powers, too," Cyborg finished. "That's why…" he trailed off, shaking his head, then forced himself to go on. "I was right there, BB, when that thing dropped you, and right away I knew you weren't gonna make it. You shouldn't have, but you did. So maybe, when you were inside it, her powers had already started to heal you. Maybe that's why you didn't die."

Frowning, Beast Boy nodded – it made sense, really, but he couldn't help but feel worse. Raven was still helping him, and he couldn't do a thing for her.

"Lucy," he said suddenly, recalling the image he'd fought so hard to remember. "That's what she was saying." Cyborg was eyeing him skeptically, so Beast Boy continued. "When I was inside that…thing…and I saw Raven, that's what she said to me. Lucy."

"Why Lucy?" Cyborg mused, frowning deeply. "You don't think…what about that Kove girl?"

"I don't know." The pain he'd been trying so hard to ignore was relentless – even thinking hurt, and he was tired. Beast Boy felt his eyes slide closed of their own accord. "Maybe…we should…" he trailed off.

"We'll find her," Cyborg assured him – for the millionth time, no doubt – and stood to leave. "Get some rest."

And even if Beast Boy had wanted to stay awake, he didn't think he could, and was asleep before Cyborg even made it to the door.

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Lucy leaned into the kitchen counter, with her elbows propped up on the smooth surface, and her chin resting in her palms, glaring at a tinted bottle of little, orange pills, quite tempted to snatch the tablets and hurl them out the window.

She wasn't sure exactly when she realized that her life was all a lie – she'd suspected it for while, but couldn't be certain – but at some point during the two months off the medication, it had just clicked. James had been lying to her all along.

Her name wasn't Lucy Kove, that she was sure of.

Unfortunately, she didn't have a clue who she actually was. At least, not yet. The memories -- if the name even applied – weren't anything of substance – just shadowy, half-recollections, without faces, or voices, only emotions. Emotions that she knew she'd once fought hard to suppress.

So many questions…

_Who was she?_

_What did he want?_

_Why _her

And she couldn't help but wonder if she wasn't the first. Just the thought made her insides lurch.

But what could she do about it? Obviously, confronting James was nowhere near an option – if he was unstable enough to drug her and feed her twisted stories about a life she'd never led, then she wasn't sure what else he was capable of. How far would he go to keep her there?

Besides, without knowing her true identity, where would she go? James would undoubtedly follow her – he had that possessive, controlling role down to a tee.

Footsteps creaked on the floor above, and Lucy started – James had been gone most every night for the past few weeks, and he hadn't once explained where he'd been. And last night, he'd shown up around four in the morning, dragging _something_ up to his room and locking the door – Lucy hadn't dared to venture into the hallway as he passed, or even ask about it later – this was the man that had possibly kidnapped her, after all.

Maybe she should just run – burst through that front door and never look back. And even if he stopped her, wouldn't it be better to have fought for her freedom than just wait for James to tire of her. If only she could remember…

Really, though, what other choice did she have? And all she really had to do was wait for James to leave again, slip outside and just _run_. And if she had to start a new life, with a new identity, she'd much rather do so on her own terms.

So Lucy waited patiently, glaring at a pill bottle and plotting her escape.

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She was supposed to be perfect.

The fatal flaw of all those _other_ Lucy's had been their questions – they couldn't just keep their mouths shut and accept what they were told. But this latest Lucy always listened. Or at least, she used to…

Now she avoided his glances, skirted his path, and shied away from his touch. As hard as he tried, she just wasn't the same. Lucy had loved him, not feared him.

It was easy to blame everything on her after that – if she'd just done what she'd been told, James wouldn't have needed to search out yet another Lucy – there'd have been no point in him following her into her apartment, grabbing her from behind and wrestling her to the ground – he wouldn't have ever considering knocking her out and dragging her to the trunk of his car, and eventually into the house and up the stairs to his room.

The new Lucy wouldn't be sprawled in James's floor, screaming into the duct tape fastened to her lips.

But what next? He couldn't have two Lucy's at once…that went against everything he worked for. What could he do?

Besides kill the imposter, any way. And he was wary of doing just that – the Shadow Man would most definitely not be pleased about that one. He'd made James promise to keep Lucy there, locked away and safe.

Except…except she wasn't really _Lucy_, not anymore – things had been going downhill for a while, the last two months especially, and she was losing the few good qualities she'd had at first. He couldn't help but feel that life with _her_ was worse than life alone. And what had the Shadow Man done for him, except shove this fake Lucy into his life?

So really, he was left with no choice.

Tonight. He'd kill her tonight.

**TBC**

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So…you should all be happy with this chapter…because things almost turned out something like this: "Ahem…so, Beast Boy died…and Raven lived with James in their happy little delusional world forever…or at least until he snapped one night and strangled her in her sleep. Slade and Terra took over the world, and Robin was forced to become Slade's love slave…er…I mean, apprentice. As for Cyborg and Starfire…well, he was killed and sold as scrap metal, and I hear she's a streetwalker in the slums somewhere. The end."

But you know, **Justice of the People** wouldn't let me end it like that. She just isn't any fun.

I luff reviews! --nudge nudge, wink wink—

**Child of a Pineapple**


	14. Dying

Yeah, yeah, it's been a while. Quit throwing stuff already, gee-osh. This chapter's super long, to make up for the wait. I think it's longer than some of the one-shots I've written, if not all of them.

I just finished reading _Twilight_ and _New_ _Moon_ by Stephenie Meyer. Have you read them? If so, PM me…if not, pick up a copy…or two. They're very, very good.

So…this chapter is kind of weird. I switch POV's rapidly (and about 8 kajillion times), but that's only because it didn't flow right when it was all in big chunks. And I feel like I picked sort of awkward places to pick up the storylines…but I was sick and tired of drawing things out, so I'm just getting right to the point. AND I sort of skip some things that maybe could have possibly been important…if I'd chosen to write them. As it is, they just don't exist…because they would have been boring.

The very first scene feels really nonchalant…I'm not sure why, but it just sort of came out that way. So…just go with it, m'kay?

God, I just want to be done with this story.

**DICLAIMER – Teen Titans does not belong to me, nor does the poem "Porphyria's Lover" by Robert Browning. Lines from the poem are bolded. And yes, there are quite a few this time.**

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**Porphyria**

_Chapter 14 – Dying_

"He's going to kill me, Terra."

The blonde's head shot up so fast she was surprised it didn't snap – and her ice blue eyes flew to meet the troubled violet orbs at the other end of the couch.

She'd only intended to stop by for a few minutes – but when she'd seen Lucy perched on the edge of a sofa in the formal room, gazing forlornly out the window, Terra had been drawn to linger, and taken a seat across from her friend.

"What did you say?"

"I said, he's going to kill me," Lucy repeated, her voice flat and emotionless – uncharacteristic of someone so sure of their own demise.

"No, I mean…what did you call me?"

Lucy turned away, returning her gaze to the window and all that lay beyond. "I'm sorry. It just sort of…slipped out."

"No, it's okay." Terra sighed, shaking her head. "So, how long has it been?"

"A few months," Lucy admitted, still looking away. "I can't remember a thing, though, not really. Just little flashes – feelings or something."

"I'm not surprised. You were on a pretty powerful drug."

"How long have you known?" Lucy asked, once again catching Terra's gaze. The blonde girl only frowned.

"Since the beginning – since before the beginning," Terra explained.

Lucy nodded. "I guessed as much." She paused, biting her lip. "So, Lucy's not my name, then?"

"No."

"Are you going to tell me who I really am?"

Terra couldn't stifle a chuckle – she put her hands behind her head and leaned into the couch, closing her eyes. "I am _so _dead."

"Why?" Lucy scooted closer to the blonde, a worried look crossing her features. "Will James…?"

"It's not James I'm afraid of," Terra replied smoothly, opening one eye. "This goes so far beyond him…that stuck-up little sadist has no idea who he's even dealing with."

"Is that so?"

The girls were startled by James's appearance, but not surprised – even if he'd been left out of the master plan, nothing within the manor ever escaped his eye, and this afternoon was no different. Now he stood in the doorway, blocking the clearest exit.

"I'm afraid it is, James," Terra answered smoothly, subtly positioning herself between the madman and his captive. "And you've known it all along, haven't you?"

"Silly girl, who are you trying to fool?" James retorted, simultaneous glaring and flashing his crooked smile. "You're only a pawn, after all – lying to a poor, sick young woman, befriending her now because she'd never even had spared you a passing glance had she been in her right mind. Pitiful – that's all you are."

Terra shook her head and narrowed her eyes. "I think you've got me confused with someone else." She raised a hand that was surrounded in a yellow aura, then glanced at the girl behind her.

"My keys are in the front seat, Raven," she said quickly, nodding towards the window. "Get out of here, and don't ever come back." Her hand twitched, and the glass shattered as a rock sailed into the room from outside. "_Go_!"

Raven hesitated a second more, but the girl's fierce, and now strangely yellow gaze was enough of a warning, and she left without another word, feet pounding on the pavement as she sprinted towards freedom.

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Raven.

The name was foreign yet familiar, and decidedly hers – she was eager not to take either any of Terra's gifts in vain, repeating the name as a mantra in her mind as she slipped into her friend's teal Taurus. Almost without thinking, she slid the key into the ignition and started the vehicle. She briefly wondered if she even knew how to drive, but as she shifted and peeled out of the driveway, she decided that the memory must have been yet another thing that James had stolen from her. James, or whoever he was working for.

And then there was that – the idea that someone was pulling the strings, manipulating James as a mere puppet – if that was the case, then this person had to be even more twisted than James himself, and that thought alone was more than frightening.

But obviously Terra worked under this shadow man as well – but the way she made it sound, she hadn't exactly volunteered.

_Terra._

It was hard to sort through the barrage of emotions that her name alone brought on -- hurt, sadness, anger, hatred, _betrayal_…

But she couldn't really leave her there to face James on her own, could she? Terra had risked her life so that Raven could escape – and even if she did owe it to her, that didn't give Raven the right to abandon the closest thing she had to a friend…at least as far as she could remember.

_Get out of here, and don't _ever_ come back._

If that wasn't specific, Raven wasn't sure what was. Still, the thought nagged at her the all throughout the trip – all the way into a city she didn't recognize, with a giant tower dotting the horizon. It was that tower that really caught her eye, and lead her forward – the streets were crowded, and she pulled into the first parking spot she could find, suddenly determined to complete the trek on foot.

So she ran, ran until a face that shouldn't have felt so familiar stopped her in her tracks.

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As soon as Raven was gone, Terra bolted – and James followed, as he was supposed to. She ran without any specific destination, through the foyer and up the main stair, until his hand caught her wrist halfway across the dimly lit balcony. A cold rush swept through her body.

"**And all her yellow hair displaced."**

Terra turned as James uttered those chilling words, taking in the eerie look that had crossed his features.

"What?" Her voice shook with unintended fear.

"I never saw it before," James said thoughtfully, squeezing Terra's wrist. "I'm not sure why, but I never realized what was missing. The whole time, I was looking for the wrong one. Now I've found you, Porphyria with your yellow hair."

One hand subconsciously flew to her golden locks. In that moment, James relinquished his hold on Terra, but only for an instant. Two strong hands found her neck and choked her, crushing strands of yellow hair against her skin. As he tightened his grip, James spoke calmly, green eyes flashing in the darkness.

"**Porphyria's love – she guessed not how her darling one wish would be heard."**

Terra tried to draw in a gasping breath, but it was impossible. James's words drowned out her pounding heart.

"**And thus we sit together now…"**

Her vision swam and her body went limp as James continued to speak.

"**And all night long we have not stirred…"**

Briefly, she recalled silver fingers that held her neck, just before the lulling tendrils of oblivion claimed her for eternity.

"_**And yet God has not said a word."**_

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One chance. If he didn't take advantage of this one, gleaming opportunity, all hope of escape would be lost. One chance…

Beast Boy paused, crouched in the windowsill, as footsteps creaked above him. They passed, and his fingers fumbled for the clasp. The window slid open swiftly, and the alarm he'd half-expected didn't trigger – so they weren't as bent on keeping him as he'd thought. One shift later, a green hawk with a glinting silver wing shot off into the afternoon sky.

Initially he'd been dreading the first few minutes of his flight, during which he'd still be in plain view of the ever watchful tower. But his escape was practically effortless, and a seed of guilt began to sprout in his chest – he shook it off. He just couldn't take any more time down in that med bay.

Another two months had dragged by featuring him as a prisoner of those walls – granted, he'd spent a few weeks unconscious, but still. So after a day of experimenting with his second new arm, Beast Boy was breathing fresh air for the first time in far too long.

The whole episode was pleasant – he'd forgotten how nice it was to soar above the waves, occasionally swooping down so that his wings skimmed the water. And as it was a beautiful day, he was perfectly content to reach land, shift back to his human form, and stroll the streets of a city on the road to recovery after the creature's sudden disappearance weeks ago. It was what happened next that shattered and scattered the neat little pieces of his nearly rebuilt life.

He hadn't seen the girl coming, as engrossed in the sights as he'd been – and in her defense, she had plenty of other things to worry about. Their collision was quick, and would have been completely incidental, had their eyes not met.

She was clad in jeans and a simple blue tee-shirt – her hair was longer, and her face more worried, but it had been months, and there was no mistaking that chakra.

It was Raven, without a doubt. But little did he know she didn't even know it yet.

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Looking back, Raven knew that she'd been a complete idiot to trust the first guy she ran into a completely foreign city. But she was desperate, and needed _something _familiar – something she could hold on to for even a second, and grasp a tiny bit of sanity.

It was his eyes that really caught her – shock was etched into those orbs, and for a second he couldn't even speak. Finally he got his mouth working again, and the very first thing he said threw her for a loop.

"Raven?" the young man asked, completely dumbfounded. "Raven, is that really you?"

There was that name again – the same one that Terra had used earlier. Something about him felt right – and it was the first time she could ever remember feeling that way.

Slowly she nodded, only once, but it was obviously enough for him. His face breaking into a grin, he took her hand, maybe to assure himself that she really was there, right in front of him.

"I can't believe…" he shook his head, at a loss for words once more. "Where have you been? We've looked everywhere."

But she didn't answer – in fact, she couldn't. The second this familiar stranger had touched her hand, a jolt had shot through Raven's body, and she was overwhelmed with a surge of memories – more precisely, pieces of memories. Painful memories – _a rainy night in a bloody field, hours and hours of waiting, and more recently, glowing eyes and the dull sound of a body dragging across the floor._

"Why do I know you?" she asked, her voice wavering as the flashes pounded in her skull. "I shouldn't--"

He frowned, but gripped her hand tighter. "What do you mean, Raven? What's wrong?"

"I don't remember," she explained, looking down. "I don't remember anything."

The young man was quiet for a long time, his features reeking of sadness. Raven was still, watching his face carefully. Somehow she knew that she was supposed to know this desperate person before her – she knew she could trust him, and even if she couldn't, she didn't have any other choice.

"What did he do to you?" he finally questioned, searching her eyes for some flicker of recognition.

…_a body dragging across the floor…_

"I have to go back," she whispered desperately, stepping away. "He'll kill her."

"Raven!" Now his hands were on her shoulders, and she could almost feel the cool metal beneath his glove. _So much blood._ "Raven, listen to me. You're sick--"

"No! I'm not sick, I'm just…I'm just." Why did she feel like crying? "I'm not sick." _A round orange pill in the palm of her hand._ "Don't make me…"

"It's okay," he told her, soothing. "Raven, it's okay. You're right, you're not sick – but I've got to take you back to the tower, okay?"

"He'll _kill_ her!"

"_Who_?"

"James," she said mournfully. She could hear as his breath caught, and his grip tightened.

"Owens?" he asked, dumbfounded. She barely managed to nod. "But he's _dead_."

Raven shook her head furiously – if only that was true.

"But…" He buried his face in the palm of his head and sighed. "Okay, here's what we'll do. I'm going to take you back to the tower, and then me and the others will find James, and--"

"No." Raven shook her head furiously. "I'm coming with you."

He frowned. "I don't think that's a good idea, Raven."

"I have to come," she protested. "Listen to me…" She trailed off, quite suddenly aware that she couldn't even remember his name.

Apparently he noticed her distress. "Beast Boy," he supplied, his frown deepening. "And no, you don't."

"You don't understand. He's going to kill her, now."

"I'm not taking you back there," Beast Boy responded, his voice sharp. "I'm not letting you go again."

"Please," she whispered. _So much blood_. "You have to let me do this. I couldn't stop him before, so I have to now." She bit back a sob -- she wasn't even sure who she was talking about anymore, but the words found their own way out.

Beast Boy paused, his feelings conflicting on his face. He relaxed his hold on her shoulders, only slightly. "Fine. But I'm calling the others to follow us." He paused again, his expression severe. "And Raven – if I tell you to leave, then you run, and don't look back. Alright?"

Raven nodded, and Beast Boy released her.

"So, how are we going to get wherever we're going?" he asked next.

"We'll drive."

"Drive what?"

"I borrowed Terra's car," she explained. She almost elaborated, but noticed the shock spreading across Beast Boy's features.

"Terra?" he repeated, dumfounded. "You remember Terra?"

"No…not really," she admitted.

"Then what…?"

Raven sighed. "I'll explain on the way."

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Everything he'd worked so hard for – the careful deliberation, tireless calculations – everything was unraveling before his very eyes.

Needless to say, Slade was more than a little annoyed.

After the changeling had defeated his creature, Slade had focused on a new plan to wipe the young nuisances out of his life forever. But before all the little pieces could fall neatly into place, _someone_ had gone and torn all he had left to shreds.

If Slade had been any sort of decent, he would have taken at least some of the blame for his downfall – instead, all guilt was placed on Terra. After all, she was the one who'd been stealing, deceiving, and misleading – just lying in general…at least, to him, anyway. And in Slade's book, that was all that mattered.

That insolent little _worm_ – when would she learn? He was the master, and she the ever willing (and preferably silent) apprentice. She wasn't fit for anything more.

Well, she'd dug her grave, almost literally, in fact. And while she had allowed Raven to escape, all would soon be right in the world.

It wasn't much later when Slade really just how screwed he really was.

Terra was lucky she was already dead.

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"Robin, you're not going to believe this."

Even on the tiny screen, Beast Boy could see that his leader was far beyond irritated. "Let me guess – you finally _escaped_."

Beast Boy scowled. "Besides that. Seriously, this is good news. Mostly."

"You're right. I don't believe you."

Exasperated, Beast Boy directed the communicator towards Raven, who was intently focused on driving. The silence from the other end of the line was deafening.

When Beast Boy turned the device back to himself, Robin was visibly blown away.

"How'd you find her?" he demanded. "Where are you going?"

"I need you to meet us somewhere," Beast Boy cut in quickly. They turned a corner, and the woods opened up to reveal a crumbling mansion.

"What's going on, Beast Boy?"

"Look, Robin, I'm really sorry, but I can't explain now," Beast Boy offered apologetically. "I'm sending you the coordinates. Hurry."

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Robin swore as the transmission blacked out, but an instant later he was springing into action. He burst out of his room and down the hallway, pounding on Cyborg and Starfire's doors as he passed.

Cyborg's heavy footsteps soon echoed behind his, and Starfire floated from her room.

"Friend Robin, what is the emergency?" she asked, concerned.

"Yeah, what's up?" Cyborg questioned. Robin didn't bother turning around, but held his communicator up over his shoulder.

"Beast Boy just called me – he sent me coordinates."

Cyborg's curse was considerably more violent than Robin's had been – he could imagine that Starfire was wincing.

"What's he up to now?" Cyborg wondered. "I mean, usually he calls us right before all hell breaks loose."

"It's not like that," Robin explained – at least he hoped it wasn't – he paused a moment before continuing. "He's with Raven."

The footsteps behind him ceased, as he'd expected they would, and Robin had no choice but to turn and face his shocked comrades.

Starfire was the first to regain her composure. "Then you mean…Raven is alright?"

Robin frowned. "He didn't say much – just that we need to hurry."

That caught their attention, and the pair quickly followed Robin onto the elevator. Cyborg finally spoke up as the doors slid shut.

"You sure it's her?"

"I saw her, Cyborg. It's really Raven."

"I just don't get it," Cyborg said, stepping off the elevator and into the garage. "We've been looking for months, and getting nothing, and BB sneaks out for the afternoon and that's it? She just appears? What about every other time he's been out wandering to who knows where?"

Robin opened the passenger's side door of the T-Car, ready to climb inside. "You'll have to ask her."

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They waited outside the house for a long while – Raven was watching the door, and Beast Boy was watching her.

"It's not that I don't want to remember," she spoke up after a long bout of silence. "I've tried."

"I know."

"And I know that I'm supposed to," she went on, "I just _can't_."

"Raven, it's okay – we'll figure something out."

She turned to face him, tears welling up in her violet eyes, and Beast Boy almost felt that familiar charge of building energy. Almost.

"It was James," she told him, turning away. "He had these pills – I took them, just because he told me to, because he said I was sick and I wanted to be well again. I didn't even think about it. I just--" All of a sudden she froze, eyes trained on the oak door.

"Raven?"

"We need to go in there," she said, reaching for the door handle. "_Now_."

Beast Boy looked back over his shoulder – the road behind him was deserted. "Maybe we should wait for the others."

Raven caught his gaze, but her face was set, and her mind made up. "I'm going in there – you can stay, if you'd like."

For a moment he caught a glimpse of the Raven he knew –- the one he trusted with his life.

Nodding once, Beast Boy opened his door. "Alright. Let's go."

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A teal Taurus was parked outside when they pulled up, with both doors swung wide open. The oak front door was ajar as well, and the house was silent.

"So, they're inside then," Cyborg muttered, killing the ignition. "You ready?"

"Might as well be," Robin replied, opening his door and stepping outside. The other two Titans followed suit.

"Do you think they will be alright?" Starfire asked nervously, hovering behind Robin.

"I hope so."

Some corner of Robin's mind registered the ornate carvings on the oak door, but the thought was brushed away as he slipped inside.

The wide foyer was empty, along with every adjoining room – in fact, a quick sweep proved the entire first floor to be deserted. It wasn't until they trekked up the main stairs to the entry's balcony that they encountered any life…or a lack thereof.

It had been months since they'd seen her last, but there was no mistaking the prone form sprawled out on the hardwood. Blonde hair fanned out about her pale face – her icy blue eyes were open but sightless, and dark bruises marred her thin neck.

Cyborg bent down to check for a pulse, just in case, but a voice broke the silence.

"She's dead," the voice offered solemnly – the Titans started, and glanced to a darkened doorway, and the speaker beyond -- and more than that, the figure waiting anxiously behind him.

"Raven?" Robin questioned, stepping forward – the girl ignored him, stepping around Beast Boy to kneel beside the body on the ground.

"She saved me," Raven murmured. She reached out to brush the blonde locks away from the cold face. "I don't understand – she helped him, but…" She trailed off, looking down.

"**No pain felt she**," a new voice broke in from the end of the hall. "**I am quite sure she felt no pain**."

Raven cringed as the figure approached, his footsteps echoing hollowly on the hardwood. A few steps later he crossed into a beam of light, and his features became plainly visible.

Beast Boy took a step forward to stand between Raven and the newcomer. "Who are you?"

"I should be asking all of you the same thing," the man replied coolly. "So, who are you, and what are you doing with _my_ Lucy?"

Raven rose to her feet swiftly. "I'm not Lucy. And I don't belong to you, James. Not anymore."

"Who do you belong to, then?" James asked, his lips creasing to form a crooked smiled. "Surely not this ragged bunch – you don't even know them."

Raven's shoulder's tensed, and she froze. Glancing back, Beast Boy could clearly read the mixed expression of terror and confusion etched onto her face. James' smile only widened.

"Ah, now you understand." James tilted his head to one side, and took two slow steps forward. "You see how easy it would be for someone to take advantage of you in your…_fragile_ state. They could feed you any insubstantial story they wished, and you'd just lap it up. All you want is for someone to love you, Lucy – for once in your pitiful life, to have someone, anyone care for you, even if it is a lie."

Beast Boy bristled, and made his mind up in all of two seconds, lunging at James with his silver fist. The force sent the redhead staggering, but to his credit he took the blow quite admirably, and turned back to Beast Boy, smiling through blood and broken teeth.

"Keep your mouth shut," Beast Boy snarled, ready to throw another punch. "Leave her alone. Just leave her the hell alone."

James narrowed his eyes. "You'll live to regret that," he murmured, slinking back into the shadows at the end of the hall. Beast Boy bolted after him, with Robin only a beat behind, but neither was fast enough to slip though the heavy oak door before it slammed shut and locked from the other side.

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How dare they? How _dare _they waltz into his home, and take his Lucy. It wasn't like they actually cared about her – if that was the case, they wouldn't have let the Shadow Man gets his hands on her in the first place.

But why would Lucy seek this group out? She wasn't even supposed to remember them, the pills were supposed to take care of that. Anger burned in his chest as the full extent of Lucy's betrayal became clear. All this time she'd disobeyed his direct orders – and worse, she'd lied, boldly claiming fidelity, while all along…

James spat blood, then leaned against the door, breathing heavily. Why did he even care? He'd just kill the little traitor like he'd planned, and like he'd killed the Shadow Man's whore. And just to make sure that no one else came to bother him, he resolved to finish off Lucy's "friends" as well. He rubbed his jaw tenderly – there was something decidedly not human about the one that had attacked him, but no matter. Everyone's alike once they've quit breathing.

Then, he'd be all alone with his new Lucy. He cast a casual glance to the girl across the room. She was leaning against the wall, stock still and watching him with wild eyes. Judging by the violent red marks circling her wrist, she'd been struggling at her bonds merely moments before.

Really, he might as well just kill her now, too – she was quite a nuisance, and frankly, he had more than enough to be getting on with as it was. And besides, there were always more Lucy's.

Pleased with this new plan of action, James crossed the room, rolling up his sleeves as he went. The almost-Lucy shirked away – she cringed when faced with his crooked, crimson-stained smile, and he delighted. She was backed into a corner, with no hope for salvation. All she could do was pray for it to end quickly.

"Giving up already? I thought you were above such senseless violence."

The voice was one that James hadn't heard in a while, and one he'd certainly not expected. James turned back to see the Shadow Man waiting nonchalantly, despite the monstrous sword resting on his shoulder.

"What are you doing here?" James demanded – the Shadow Man didn't answer, but advanced, closing the gap between James and himself. James took a nervous step backwards.

"If I remember correctly," the Shadow Man intoned, "I believe we had an agreement. You were to keep the girl safe, and ensure that she stayed on the medication. What happened, James?"

"She didn't listen," James murmured, avoiding the Shadow Man's gaze. With every step, there was less distance between James and that sword. A second later, his back met the unforgiving surface of the wall.

The Shadow Man shook his head and sighed heavily. "What a pathetic excuse. But no matter – you failed to pay, and now I've come to collect. Farewell, James."

With a smirk, the Shadow Man hefted his sword and forced it into James's chest. The cool steel glided through skin and muscle, chipping bone and slipping through tissue, and finally sliding out his back and pinning him to wall. Blood crawled up his throat and darkness claimed him as the Shadow Man turned and walked away.

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The door clicked shut, and Beast Boy collided with a thud and a curse barely a second too late. He stepped back and shape-shifted, taking the form of a bull – Raven felt that she should have been surprised, but somehow she wasn't.

"Beast Boy, wait," Starfire called, hurrying forward – Raven could plainly read the reluctance in his eyes as he turned to face her. He shifted again, this time back into a human.

"I'm not letting him get away with this," he said quickly, crossing his arms. He glanced pointedly at Robin. "We're not letting him get away."

"You're right, we're not," Robin conceded. "But you can't just rush in there and do what you're planning to do, either."

"Why not?"

"Because we need him alive," Robin pointed out. "This doesn't end with James, remember?"

"Look, guys," Cyborg cut in, "I see what both of you are saying, but aren't you getting a little ahead of yourselves here?" He nodded towards Raven – she was still standing in that same spot beside Terra's body, nervously watching the events unfold.

"Friend Cyborg is right," Starfire said gently – she floated slowly towards Raven, who started – it was as if she'd only just noticed the other Titans, and she was frightened. "Let us take you home."

Raven took half a step backward, and looked to Beast Boy, frowning – he took it as his cue to step in.

"It's okay, Raven," he assured her. "They're friends." Her frowned deepened, but she nodded all the same.

"Hold up." Cyborg raised his hands, signaling for silence. "What's going on?"

Robin and Starfire obviously shared his confusion – Beast Boy sighed heavily.

"She doesn't remember," he explained – the other Titans reacted in a predictable manner – Robin frowned and crossed his arms, Starfire gasped, hands flying up to cover her mouth, and Cyborg merely shook his head.

"I'm sorry," she murmured, looking down. _So much blood._ "It's all there, I just can't…" _So much blood._ "I'm sorry."

Beast Boy stepped forward, placing a gentle hand on her shoulder. "Don't worry – Slade will pay for what he's done to you."

And that was that. It was as if someone had flipped a switch in her mind – the second the name Slade escaped Beast Boy's lips, Raven was overwhelmed with a barrage of half-recollections and buried emotions. She saw everything – but it no particular order, and without even the slightest hint of logic. So while Raven's mind struggled to slog through the onslaught of memories, her body fought to deal with the side-effects. She collapsed to her knees, clutching her head in her hands to block stabbing pain building in her skull.

Beast Boy knelt beside her, frantic concern overtaking his features. "Raven? What's wrong – Raven!"

But she didn't answer, only dug her fingernails into her scalp, trying to hold back the shivers. The rest of the Titans moved in closer, eager to help, but unsure of what they should do – but their attention was soon redirected. A loud snap sliced through the air, and the very foundation of the manor groaned and trembled.

Warily, they turned their eyes to the ebony mass slowly rising from the floor of the foyer.

**TBC**

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Only one more chapter to go! Yep…I'm about done.

…Finally.

But you know, after proof-reading this, I'm rather fond of this chapter. Hmm…can't say I saw that one coming.

I hope you liked the super-long chapter. Thanks for reading, and please review!

_Child of a Pineapple_


	15. Accepting

Come one, come all, to the last chapter of _Porphyria, _the end of the storyline we started out with all the way back in _Silver Wing_.

Fun fact – did you know I was sixteen when I started writing SW? And I'm totally eighteen now. It's just been so long, and I've spent so much time working on these stories, that I really am ready for them to be over. _And _I'm actually very pleased with this chapter, two scenes in particular (virtual cookies if you can guess which they are).

Wow…you people have no idea how much I appreciate all that you've done for me, with your reviews and support…but I'll save that speech for the end author's note, m'kay?

For now, please, just enjoy the chapter, and thank you for sticking around for the grand finale.

**DISCLAIMER – I do not own Teen Titans. I own James, Lucy, all the other Lucy's, and Beast Boy's many shiny arms. Similarly, I don't own the poem _Porphyria's Lover_, by Robert Browning, but I do owe my soul…or at least this plot, to that spectacular piece. Lines from the poem are bolded.**

And with that, I present to you, chapter 15.

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**Porphyria**

_Chapter 15 – Accepting_

The creature didn't assume its full height, only barely rising past two stories, but it was terrible all the same. It remained shapeless for a moment, then two inky tendrils shot out and twined about the banister of the balcony. The Titans struggled for balance as the very ground beneath their feet rocked forward.

Robin tried to shout out to his teammates, but his words were drowned out as the creature howled. Instead of trying again, he fired his grappling hook into the rafters and swung towards the enemy – Cyborg and Starfire vaulted after him into the fray.

Beast Boy and Raven still knelt on the balcony – he had his hands on her shoulders, urgently asking for her attention.

"Raven, look at me." She didn't, only dug her nails further into her scalp. "We have to go, Raven."

He glanced back over his shoulder – the others were locked in combat with the creature, but it had yet to relinquish its hold on the banister. As if to prove a point, it thrashed again and the balcony moaned, tilting forward. Beast Boy felt himself slip, and tightened his hold on Raven.

"You can stop this, Raven," he whispered, shaking her lightly.

"I can't," she hissed, still not looking up.

The ground lurched again, and they slid even further. "You have to."

She didn't answer. The hardwood groaned and began to splinter – the creature was stalling, trying to draw out their demise.

Beast Boy frowned – he'd have to carry Raven away himself, which wouldn't really be a problem, unless she struggled. In that case, he'd have to shift into something stronger, but without putting too much strain on the balcony – it wouldn't take much to break its tenuous grasp on the manor.

Yet another violent tremor made his mind up for him – he dove forward, wrapping his arms around Raven's trembling form as he went. They sailed through the air for a second, and two things happened at once.

With a tremendous _snap_ the balcony finally crumbled, and three-quarters of it tumbled into the fray below. At the same time, Beast Boy and Raven began their descent – he rolled, and they collapsed onto the one remaining portion of the once-grand balcony, right in front of the door James had disappeared into.

Raven sat up quickly, breathing erratic and eyes fixed on the creature – Beast Boy followed her gaze, then looked back, his eyes serious.

"I need you to wait here," he instructed, his tone gentle, yet forceful. "Whatever happens, don't move from this spot."

She nodded, almost imperceptibly, but it was enough for him – he turned, swooping off what remained of the balcony as a green-and-silver hawk.

He surveyed the battle from above – since the balcony was effectively demolished, the creature was able to wholly focus on its opponents. An army of tendrils shot out, assaulting the Titans dancing around it in the foyer.

Beast Boy dove straight towards the creature's "face," not at all expecting the inky black tendril that whipped out. He collided, and the force catapulted him into a wall – the impact left him breathless, and he slid down to the floor and shifted back to his human form in a daze. But he shook it off and stood, morphing into a cheetah as he leapt forward once more.

Now he was lost amid the mass of tendrils, weaving as they snapped and struck, grasping for a purchase. One made contact, and a thin trail of blood appeared on his shoulder. He pressed on, sprinting through the sea of black until he burst through the other side.

He skidded to a halt on the other side, bracing himself as the creature howled and the ground trembled. Looking up, he spotted Starfire circling the creature's head, unleashing a barrage of starbolts.

"Where's Raven?"

Beast Boy started at the voice, but relaxed when he turned back to see Robin. The leader was a little battered, with a gash traveling from his forehead to his cheek, but was otherwise unscathed.

Recalling the earlier question, Beast Boy shifted to his human form again. "She's up…" He trailed off, staring in horror at the tattered remains of the balcony. "Oh _no_."

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Nothing made sense. Everything was right _there_, but it was too garbled for her to even begin to understand. Only a few things stood out – blood, a glint of silver, Terra's sightless eyes, and a cruel man with half of a face.

It was his gaze that burned behind her eyes – he was the one pulling the strings, the one Terra had been so afraid of. He'd stolen her memories and left her in the clutches of a madman. And he was playing puppeteer with the creature that was currently attacking the friends she'd only just begun to remember.

But was he, really? Beast Boy had told her that she could stop this – he wouldn't have said so without reason. Faintly she recalled summoning an inky black aura, and the one time she'd let her emotions get out of hand.

Hazy recollections began to cement in her mind, flashes of her life in no particular order. She stood, stepping towards the fractured edge of the balcony. A steady drum beat from somewhere deep within her – the tips of her fingers and toes tingled, as if they were only just springing to life. And as she stood, staring down into the abyss, she knew that for the first time since this whole mess had started, she was actually in control.

She heard someone shout from below, but ignored it – she spread her arms wide, and accepted the hauntingly familiar rush that swept over her body.

Everything that came next happed in a matter of seconds. There was a horrible, tearing noise – the creature started, then quivered, releasing an earth-shattering bellow – the walls trembled, struggling to hold all the pent-up anger in. The creature fought the inevitable, and invariably lost – a chasm yawned open in the floor beneath it, creating a monstrous gap. The walls groaned as they split, allowing shafts of sunlight to slice into the ruined foyer.

Then there was a rush of black, and the creature blasted forward. Raven braced herself as the ebony mass collided with her lithe frame. The impact sent her staggering, and started her head spinning. She fought for her slippery hold on consciousness, but the onslaught of memories had increased tenfold, and she was overwhelmed. Tremors shook her body, her head throbbed, and she collapsed.

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Raven hadn't even touched the floor before Beast Boy made it to the balcony. She fell limply into his arms, and for a moment Beast Boy feared that she was gone. But her chest rose and fell with each breath, and a pulse fluttered beneath his fingertips.

"Is she alright?" Beast Boy looked up to see Starfire hovering a few feet away, just past the edge of the balcony. Her look was anxious, and she was wringing her hands nervously – Beast Boy nodded, and her features relaxed. "She is fine!" she called down to Robin and Cyborg, who were still waiting in the rubble below.

Moments later, Starfire had flown the others up to the balcony, and Beast Boy had laid Raven out on the floor, and was sitting by her anxiously. Terra's body was nowhere to be seen – they could only assume that it had been claimed by the gaping chasm below.

"What just happened?" Cyborg asked, rubbing his temple.

"I'm not sure," Robin replied, eyeing Raven carefully. "But whatever it was, I think it's over."

Silence fell over their worn-out little group, only to be punctuated by a sharp gasp as Raven shot upright, her eyes panicked.

"Careful," Beast Boy warned her, reaching out to her shoulder with his flesh hand to steady her. "It's alright."

"Beast Boy?" she asked quietly, a frown creasing her features. "What…_oh."_ She buried her face in her hands. "How long has it been?"

"What?"

"How long?" she repeated, looking up – something about her eyes had changed. "How long have I been gone?"

"Six months," he answered reluctantly.

"You remember, then?'' Robin questioned, his voice soft.

Raven nodded, and Starfire broke into a grin. "Then you really have returned to us!" she exclaimed joyfully.

"I guess so."

"It's good to have you back, Rae," Cyborg added approvingly.

"Thanks." Raven almost smiled, but an angry frown spread across her features instead, as if she'd only just recalled something important.

"Raven?" Beast Boy prompted, watching her cautiously.

"Where's James?" she demanded, a furious glint in her eyes.

The Titans turned their gazes to the door at the end of hall – Raven followed their lead, lips pursed in a thin line. She stood swiftly, much to her companions' surprise, and crossed the space quickly.

She had her hand on the doorknob before anyone could even call out to try and stop her.

"Raven, wait." She turned back, watching Beast Boy and waiting for him to continue.

"Why?"

"You can't just go in there," Beast Boy went on – he looked back to the others for confirmation.

"He's right, Raven," Robin agreed. "Wait out here, with Starfire." He looked to the redhead, who nodded.

Raven, however, wasn't buying it. She gripped the doorknob tighter, and frowned.

"How has he gotten away with this?" she asked quietly, ignoring the matter at hand.

The question threw the others for a loop, but Robin offered an answer, however inadequate it was. "Everyone thought he was dead – apparently he'd committed suicide…but they never found a body."

"Obviously," Raven scoffed, gripping the knob until her knuckles were white. "And how many girls…?"

"Nine," Robin responded lamely, as if the Titans themselves were responsible for the deaths. His answer chased away any doubts that may have lingered in Raven's mind.

"If anyone's going in there, it's me," she told them adamantly. "I know how to deal with him."

And although none of the others were happy about it, they couldn't do a thing to stop Raven from slipping through the door.

Of course, no one was expecting the sight that met them within those walls, and nobody saw the figure lurking just beyond the shadows.

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After she'd woken, things had become surprisingly clear for Raven – her memories were back, and she was more than a little angry. Now that the haze had been lifted, she was aware of exactly what had been done not just to herself, but to her friends, as well.

She also knew that such vehement fury should have sent her powers into overdrive – but there was nothing. For some reason, when her memories had returned, her powers had not.

But all those thoughts were shoved aside once she stepped into James's room, and three things caught her eye.

The first – every inch of the walls was plastered with photos and newspaper clippings – she was surrounded with pictures of her own face, or at least a few very much like it. _His victims, _she realized – her stomach dropped sickeningly.

Second – a trembling girl curled into a corner, hands bound and lilac locks in disarray, with blood splattered across her face. And judging by the way she was screaming, it wasn't her own.

Third – a sword that was all too familiar wedged into the wall, and the sagging form wrapped around it.

James was covered in blood, from his front all the way down to a pool by his feet, and he was slumped, quite lifelessly, and unmoving.

Raven stepped closer to James's limp form, trying to block out the screams from the girl in the corner – Starfire was approaching the girl to calm her, but her hysterics only increased in volume. Raven could sense Beast Boy, standing alert and just behind her.

With one hand Raven gently reached out to brush the spot where steel met flesh, just to see if it was truly real. Fingers clamped around her wrist, and she gasped, looking up into James's unfocused, green eyes.

She felt Beast Boy bristle, and heard the low snarl building in his throat. She raised her free hand to stay him, and he complied, reluctantly, but still refused to leave her side.

"Hello, James," Raven greeted him, all anger gone from her voice now – he'd been a pawn, just like she had.

"Lucy." Blood came to his lips as he spoke, and he relinquished his grip on her wrist. "It's all come back to you, then?"

"How did you know?"

A strangled laugh escaped his lips. "You're not afraid of me anymore."

Raven eyed him carefully. "Then you know that's not really my name."

"Yes, but…" he paused to draw in a ragged breath, "let's keep it that way, for old time's sake."

A smile almost crossed Raven's features. "Alright then."

James was quiet for a long while, and Raven wondered if he'd already passed away. But finally, he spoke again. "So…why have you come back?"

"To talk." Her voice was soft, barely above a whisper.

"About what?"

"They told me that you're supposed to be dead," she said gently, catching his fading green eyes.

James attempted another laugh, but was only rewarded with a fine spray of blood. "They're right – I tried to end it, but I suppose no one ever gets what they really want, now do they?"

Raven frowned. "I'm sorry, James."

He narrowed his eyes. "Why? After…after what I did to you…" he trailed off, coughing, but the message was there all the same.

"I'm sorry that you never got what you wanted," Raven clarified. "But that doesn't give you the right to take everything away from those girls. What did they do to deserve that?"

"I gave them all they could ever ask for," James replied. He squeezed his eyes shut tight as a spasm racked his body. He coughed again, bringing up more blood. "No one ever loved them…the way I did."

"And no one ever will," Raven whispered. James glanced up into her face, with the ghost of his trademark crooked smile, and nodded.

"I wish things had been different," he told her, his eyes sliding shut.

"Why James?" she asked mournfully. "Why'd you do it?"

"**For love of her, and all in vain," **he murmured, his eyes sliding shut. He heaved one last, labored breath, and…

Beast Boy's cool touch on her shoulder brought Raven back to her senses. She looked back, meeting his eyes.

"Come on," he told her gently. "Let's go home."

Turning, Raven could see that, with Cyborg's help, Starfire had coaxed James's would-be victim into standing – sobs still shook her body, but she was otherwise quiet.

But despite the sense of security, all was not well – this became all too apparent when a menacing figure stepped forward from where he'd been lingering in the shadows. And while they'd all known that he'd had to be somewhere close by – Robin had even been on the lookout – the Titans couldn't help but feel the slightest jolt of surprise when Slade finally showed his face.

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"Very good – I didn't think you'd ever actually find this place."

The Titans stiffened as Slade, James's Shadow Man, stepped into the light.

"It's over, Slade," Robin growled, whipping out his bo staff.

And of course the man chuckled, advancing almost casually, lessening the gap between himself and the teens.

"You would say that," he chided, "after all, you've rescued the girl and defeated the monster…and the villain and his cohort were disposed of for you. I suppose that just leaves me."

If he cared that every available weapon in the room was leveled directly at his chest, he didn't show it. Slade merely kept walking, each step bringing him closer and closer to Raven.

"Are you angry, Raven?" Slade asked coldly, cocking his head to one side. "Now that you know everything, I mean? All that's transpired – everything I've taken from you – knowing that there's nothing you can do about it. Tell me, doesn't it just make you _furious?"_

Just before Beast Boy could launch forward for a futile attack, something happened. Raven's eyes narrowed and glowed black – the inky aura spread to the tips of her fingers, enshrouding her hands.

"Shut up," she hissed, baring her teeth. "Don't even talk – I'm sick and tired of listening to your speeches. Nobody cares, all right? No one cares what the hell you do, because in the end, you're the one that loses, Slade. _How does it feel to be alone?"  
_

For the first time that any of them could remember, Slade's expression betrayed his mistake. His gaze reeked of surprise, and fear. Raven delighted in it.

The aura flowed out to envelope Raven's entire body – she could feel the sheer power buzzing through her veins. Slade took one, faltering step backwards, but that was enough for her. As she advanced, the ebony cloud slipped forward, then shot, screeching, straight into Slade's chest. It washed over his body, vibrating the very air around him – the house was filled with tremors until suddenly…

…he was gone. Raven's eyes fell shut – she felt a force crash into her, and staggered. The next thing she knew, she was on her knees, and Beast Boy was whispering frantically into her ear.

Someone was screaming. Raven pried her eyes open, and met the anxious gazes of her friends, gathered in a semi-circle around her. James's body was right where they'd left it, and the girl from the corner had resumed her hysterics.

"Are you okay?" Beast Boy asked quietly, and Raven's eyes snapped back to the faces before her. She nodded, slowly, and stood.

"Where's…?" She didn't finish the question, and they didn't know the answer. But whatever she had done, Slade was gone, and he didn't appear to be coming back.

The reunited team left the manor quickly after that, not even pausing to examine the terrible havoc wrought on the foyer. Instead they skirted around the edge of the chasm, and since the front door had crumbled into the darkness below, they slipped out one of the many splits in the wall.

They waited outside until the police could show up, and turned the trembling girl over to their care. After a while they'd coaxed out a name – Savannah Hilt – and she was, despite all appearances, a very lucky girl indeed.

Later excursions into the once magnificent building revealed not two bodies, but four. Along with the corpses of James and Terra, the authorities discovered the remains of Mr. Owens Senior and his wife – James's parents. They'd been dead for years, and reports confirmed that they'd died around the same time as Lucy Kove.

The house would be demolished weeks later, leaving Raven as the sole possessor of James's secrets – and she wasn't telling a soul.

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Raven's readjustment to life at the tower went as smoothly as it could have. There were rough patches – she still woke up screaming a few times a week, and once or twice she'd snapped and destroyed half the furniture in her room – but she was getting there. And the others were incredibly patient – they'd been reluctant to let her return to crime-fighting at first, but had since relented – and she needed it more than they knew. The anger was the hardest part to accept, and she was never very good at venting, at least without hurting something, or someone. Taking down criminals was one way for her to productively deal with the pent-up emotions.

But overall, things were going well, and life did its best to return to normal. They'd all been left with scars – all they could do now was wait for them to fade.

It was a particularly sunny afternoon – the day was nice enough that Raven typically would have ventured to the roof, but instead she made her way to the basement. She found Beast Boy there, cross-legged on the floor by one of the shelves and examining a shining, silver sword.

"I don't even know why I came down here," he murmured, tracing his finger along the blade. "I just felt like I had to." The edge sliced through the fabric of his glove, exposing metal beneath.

Raven sat down beside him. "Did we ever figure out where this thing came from?"

Beast Boy looked up, and his mouth split into a grim smile. "A museum – I called and asked if they wanted it back, but apparently it's not in 'mint condition' anymore. That's what they told me, anyway."

"A museum?" Raven echoed. "For Slade, that sounds an awful lot like petty theft."

"I guess so," Beast Boy agreed with a chuckle. He paused, and when he spoke again, he'd taken on a more somber tone. "What exactly did you do to him, anyway?"

"I can't honestly say," Raven said slowly, frowning. "The best I can figure, I sent him _somewhere_ – I just don't know where."

"…Can he come back?" Beast Boy asked, with a little hesitation.

"I hope not."

Silence stole over the pair for a moment. Finally, Beast Boy stood, returning the sword to its spot on the shelf, and Raven rose beside him. When he glanced back over at his friend, he was grinning.

"You know, it was kind of weird seeing you in normal clothes – without the cloak and mystery and all that."

Raven smirked. "Oh, like you can complain. I'd just gotten used to the shinier you, and then you have to start wearing gloves again."

"Well, see, that's the thing," Beast Boy explained excitedly. "Say I see a bank robber, and he's all, 'scrawny little green dude? I can take him.' Then _bam_, right hook into his jaw, and I'm like, 'guess again, buddy.'"

There was another minute of silence, then Raven rolled her eyes and sighed. "You're such a dork."

"Yes, but I'm a _shiny _dork."

"Fine. But that doesn't change anything."

The banter continued all the way upstairs, as the pair abandoned the basement for the light of the tower above. And while the both were a little worse for wear, they'd found their happily ever after all the same.

**END**

**11:02 PM**

**11/8/06**

* * *

…………………….Oh my gosh. I'm done.

See, I didn't actually believe that this story would ever end. But now it has…and I'm happy. I can't begin to thank you guys for all of the love and support you've given me throughout the course of these stories. Without you, this wouldn't have been possible.

I.

Love.

You.

All.

Thank you so, so much, for reading these stories and putting up with me for so long. I hope it was worth it – I really do.

And now I'm off to try new things – I'm done with this fandom, but not fanfiction, so hopefully I'll see some of you around.

Thanks again, and lots of love, _Child of a Pineapple_


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